A Link to the Past
by Craxal
Summary: An evil from bygone ages returns to destroy the peace of Hyrule. Link and his allies, the last link to Hyrule's distant past, must unravel the mysteries of Hyrule's legends and face their destiny if peace is ever to return.
1. A Dark and Stormy Night

**Chapter 1**

_A Dark and Stormy Night_

Tonight it was raining. The storm that had moved in late afternoon started softly enough, but as the sun set, the wind and rain intensified. Thunder and lightning soon followed. The sound of cascading water roared through the house. Link kept tossing and turning in his bed, but his efforts to doze off were futile. He wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

Link turned to his other side to eye the door on the far side of the bedroom. Flickering candlelight filtered just slightly from under the threshold. He could hear the faintest of muffled whispers from the people beyond. He should have expected that not even rough weather would prevent the meeting.

Link flipped over again onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what to think of the whole thing. For the past three months, Uncle Smith and his acquaintances, influential folks from the castle, would frequently gather in the middle of the night around the kitchen table for hours on end. Goddesses only knew whatever it was they discussed. Link already tried asking about it several times, but Uncle never spoke a word about it. Smith never let Link sit in, and eavesdropping proved just as fruitless. For some reason, all Link could ever hear was the unintelligible sound of mumblings from the kitchen. Smith only warned Link never to mention the goings-on to anybody. Other than that, he acted like nothing was going on at all.

But no, thought Link, there is something going on, a lot of things.

It all seemed to start about a year ago. A new sort of curse began to spread throughout the kingdom. Some said it came with the cold winds blowing down from Death Mountain. Others said it was a magic experiment gone horribly wrong. Those inflicted became unusually stiff and clumsy in their movements, and they became perfectly incapable of using any tools or weapons. It was as if someone were trying to turn them into helpless rag dolls to play with. No one was immune to it, not even the good King of Hyrule. By the time the king was inflicted, many a magus was called to expel the curse from him and his people, but to no avail. The curse was simply a mystery unable to be solved.

That was until the Great Wizard, or so he was called, came with the answer. He was a traveler, a Gerudo nomad from the far reaches of the southwestern Desert Wastes. He was a magus of arcane skill and wisdom that surpassed most in the rest of Hyrule. He alone was able to identify the source of the curse. He called it the "blue bubble curse," and the culprit was a malevolent spirit from another world. Using his magic, he quelled the infliction plaguing the kingdom.

The name of the magus was Agahnim. His Majesty the king was immediately grateful to the man's services. The king so desired a magus of Agahnim's talents that he offered the Great Wizard a position in the Royal Council. The whole Council, and indeed the whole kingdom, was stunned. Never before had a Gerudo been asked to join the Council! The Gerudo tribes, although technically a part of Hyrule sovereignty, lived by their own laws and customs as though they were a foreign country in and of themselves. They rarely had anything to do with others outside of their circles. But Agahnim was quite the exception, and he graciously accepted the invitation.

Surprisingly, the Great Wizard proved to be as proficient in politics as he was in magic. He was not at all like by the others as he took his seat at Council. Eyes glared with suspicion and contempt at him. What did a Gerudo know about Hyrulean law and government? In the ensuing months, however, Agahnim stole the spotlight for the king's attention with his ideas and plans. The Council's general opinion of the magus grew more favorable. Most members of the Council came to admire the man. To them, his proposals, which transferred more governing power to the Royal Family, made things run much more quickly, smoothly and efficiently, because the Council was no longer forced to deal with every petty detail. A bitter distaste, however, lingered with a few others. They felt his motions altered too much the delicate the long-established balance of power between the Council and the king. It was the whole purpose the Council even existed: to keep the rash decisions of a king from having too much lasting consequence.

Regardless of the divided opinion of the Wizard in the Council, before the harvest was over, Agahnim was appointed the new Minister of the Council by the king. The Council almost disintegrated from the schism that slashed through it. His Majesty struggled sleeplessly for a whole week trying to keep half the Council from resigning. Those who openly disliked Agahnim, for the king's sake, managed to warm up to Agahnim a bit.

The dust was finally beginning to settle. Then winter came. And then king fell ill. His disease confined him to his room, incapable of fulfilling his duties within the Council. A temporary ruler was needed.

The king's daughter, Hyrule's very own Princess Zelda immediately stepped forward to take the place of her father. She was young, beautiful, and, just like her father, bright and clever. The people loved her, and she was willing to do anything for her country. But she was also headstrong, intrusive, and inexperienced.

Plus, she claimed to have telepathic powers and prophetic dreams, dreams that were symbolic and ambiguous. His Majesty was most intrigued when Zelda first confided to him about it, and he called upon several wise magi to investigate and tutor her further. They likewise expressed interest in her, as they had never encountered someone with such powers before. The king was delighted to learn that his very own daughter had such a unique talent. But after a short time, the magi returned to the king with unfavorable reports. She had not passed their telepathic tests, and Zelda had endeavored to interpret her own dreams, interpretations that they believed were hasty and naïve, which in turn led them to conclude they weren't really prophetic in nature at all. The king was disheartened. Soon he and everyone else around her disregarded the princess's powers entirely.

In the eyes of the Council, Zelda simply was not ready to rule in her father's stead. But the Great Wizard, he had the age, the wisdom, the experience, and the success to prove his ability superior to any other. His name quickly passed to the front of the list of candidates. There were, of course, those that made it quite clear that they would rather die than see a Gerudo, practically a foreigner, succeed the king, even if only temporary. But by now, Agahnim's opponents had become a minority voice, and the Council was beginning to tire of the same accusations made over and over.

So Agahnim, the stranger from the desert, the Great Wizard, became acting sovereign of Hyrule.

Despite the stark disagreements within the Council, in contrast not a word of protest echoed from the masses outside the castle walls (at least none that were voiced so readily as the Councilors). After all, he was the Great Wizard. The people adored him. He had stopped and reversed a mysterious curse. He was like a savior to the families of those who had been afflicted. Why shouldn't such a public hero be privileged to take the king's place until he was well again?

Link had never met the man himself, although he had seen him a few times. The only reason he knew so much about him was because of his uncle. Smith made his living as a blacksmith and as a trainer of swordsmen. And he was good at it, so good that the top swordsmen in Hyrule all learned from him. During the course of his life he met such accomplished swordsmen who later became members of the Royal Council. He took a particular liking to them, and they became good friends. Smith was no magistrate, no nobleman, but they would always come to him should they need to confide in someone. They valued his opinion, particularly because his mind was always fresh and free of political biases.

Since Agahnim's temporary appointment to the throne, the situation with the council began to intensify. Never before had the Council been so divided on one issue. The former Minster of the Council, Lord Rigel could take it no longer and promptly resigned from the Council altogether. Link remembered seeing the man several months ago approach the house as he had attended to the horses. Smith emerged from the workshop to meet his crestfallen friend.

"What's the matter, Rigel," he had asked.

"Agahnim has been appointed acting sovereign," Rigel had answered.

"Over the Princess Zelda, the king's own flesh and blood? That's absurd!"

"There was nothing I could do. The voice of the Council was for the motion."

"Has the Council lost all sense of reason?"

"Perhaps, which is why I resigned my seat today."

"But, Rigel, you can't give up now. You're needed there!"

"No, not to them, not with Agahnim running things now. As it stands, the Council has lost too much power, let alone our little voice. Our other friends have chosen to continue the fight, but I doubt much success will ever come of it."

Rigel had spoken the truth that day. Indeed, others were soon to follow his footsteps, but in a less dignified way. As the Councilors still opposed to the motion continued to resist Agahnim, the wizard found it necessary to dismiss them from their office. "Issma's been let go today," Rigel returned several weeks later to say. "Now Oras is gone," he said the following week. It was not long before the Council was free of any open opponents to Agahnim. It seemed then that the tension from the castle would at last relax, and real progress could be made. But from Link's end, a melancholy had settled with Smith and his friends.

As if matters couldn't get any stranger, the coming of spring brought along a fresh list of rumors through Kakariko Town. The first rumor was that someone had broken into the castle in an attempt to take the Wizard's life. This had not been confirmed, but it explained the fact that castle security had been tightened significantly. Access to the castle had been restricted to residents, invitees, staff, and urgent business. At night, the gates were strictly closed and locked tight, and the guard had been doubled.

The second rumor was that Agahnim was looking for someone to marry. Young ladies from all around the kingdom were summoned to the castle for some unexplained reason. Upon returning home, the ladies were, of course, abused with questions about the matter. Each said that they were treated to dinner in the presence of the Great Wizard. He displayed particular interest in them and their families, said something about a genealogy project he was interested in working on. And after dinner, the ladies were comfortably quartered for the night and then sent home with a small gift the following morning as thanks for the trouble. And that was that.

Link first heard the news when shopping in Kakariko Town from some of the local gossips. "He only ever calls upon one girl at a time, and they're always young, not yet twenty-five years old," the gossip said to the vegetable cart lady.

_What a strange thing to do_, thought Link as he selected his groceries.

"Do you suppose he's looking to marry?" the vegetable cart lady asked the gossip.

"Oh, I'm sure he is," she replied. "He could use the comforts of a lady, especially after all that political stress from last year."

"He does seem rather old for the gals he's been summoning," the vegetable cart lady replied. "Perhaps he should find someone a little further along?"

"Why, he should marry me!" the customer cried happily. "I've been waiting for a man for too long now." Both women began to giggle hysterically. Link decided he and Smith could do without cabbage for one more day and promptly left with an annoyed look on his face.

Marriage seemed to be the favorite topic of choice for the next several weeks. It seemed highly unlikely marriage was what Agahnim was looking for, because some of the women he summoned were already quite spoken for and with several young children. And the children were hardly of age to marry. Yet the only thing anyone could ever seem to talk about was marriage for the Great Wizard. The men would talk about what sort of women Agahnim might fancy and whether they themselves fancied such women as well. The women would talk about what a grand wedding Agahnim would have planned out and hoped to catch a glance at his ceremonial procession in the future. Link became so sick of the subject that he really hated it when his errands took him to Kakariko.

The third rumor was a lot more unsettling to Link, simply because it was shrouded in mystery, the rumor that magical experiments were being conducted in the castle tower. Of course, the only magus around the castle was Agahnim. People figured he was just trying to keep his knowledge of magic fresh, what with the demand on his time being acting sovereign had. But whatever explanations he may have heard, the thought made Link feel wary, and he didn't know why.

Strangely enough, however, whenever Link brought these subjects up with his uncle, he wouldn't so much as acknowledge he even heard the news. In fact, Link noticed these, as far as he could observe, to be the three subjects revolving around Agahnim that Uncle Smith and his friends never mentioned. All they ever seemed to rant about was what happened in court. But not a word about the rumors passed their lips.

In fact, it was at about that time that everyone started meeting together with Uncle Smith late at night.

Link flipped again to his side to gaze at the light from beyond the door. It had been almost two months since the first meeting. By now it seemed like he knew everyone by name.

First, of course, was Lord Rigel, the former Council Minister, definitely older than Uncle, wizened and gray, calm and observant. He rarely showed his range of emotions, well trained to keep calm in tense situations. Out of all the others, he seemed to trust and confide in Uncle the most.

Then there was Lady Issma. She was the first to be dismissed from her position in the Council. Middle aged, she not the most attractive woman, but she was proud in the way she carried herself. So naturally, she was the most outspoken of the group, and her opinion was not easily swayed. She was also morally strong which made her a powerful ally. Unfortunately, her inability to see others' point of views and passionate temper had made her a distasteful member of the Council. It was probably no surprise Agahnim dropped her so quickly.

Lord Oras was a man of few words. He always looked like he was half asleep due to the bags under his eyes, but not much made it past his perception. And when he spoke, there was a sense of power behind his quiet, steady voice. But he liked to throw in several rude adjectives whenever he mentioned Agahnim by name. Word was he could barley control himself in front of the Wizard at court. His smart mouth eventually cost him his seat at Council. Of these three nobles Smith saw the most of, as they visited often apart from the nightly meetings.

A few others who came around were not former members of the Council, but they were officers in the castle guard. Perhaps the one who stood out the most to Link was Sir Naom. He was a young, large man, the largest man Link had ever seen. His frame, his muscles, everything was big about him. No wonder his assignment was to be the Princess Zelda's personal bodyguard! He had a square head, large and wide facial features, and narrow eyes. He kept his brown and silver hair and beard short and well groomed. Despite is ferocious appearance he had a strong black-and-white sense of justice and duty. Whenever asked to do something for the group he would swear on his family name, on his life, on his honor, to the Goddesses, or whatever seemed appropriate, that it would be done. Oddly, though, Link hadn't seen him the past several meetings, and he wasn't here tonight, either.

Then there was Sir Gonar, a soldier stationed at the main castle gates, if Link remembered correctly. He seemed to be the living definition of stoic, which is probably why he was a gate guard. He never reacted much beyond a blank stare to the unexpected, the odd, or the surprising. He wasn't always at the meetings because of conflicts with guard duty. But tonight he was present.

A total of four magi rounded out the regular attendees of the meetings. The first Link knew fairly well himself, the old elder of Kakariko Town, Sahasrahla. The elder was certainly old, and although he loved to deny it, the first signs of senility seemed to be setting in. Sahasrahla was also somewhat of an expert on history and legends and fiddled with magical items on the side. But he tended to go on long drawls about his research from time to time and would promptly chastise anyone who tried to ignore him or hurry up his explanation. He seemed to be a little jumpy, too, as he would take frequent glances over his shoulder whenever in Uncle Smith's company. But like Sir Naom, Link hadn't seen him for the last few days.

A man by the name of Harahn looked even older than Sahasrahla. He spent much of his time caring for the little chapel tucked into the southwest corner of Kakariko Town that everyone simply called Sanctuary. His silver beard reached down to his knees, and he wore simple, loose garments. Change Sanctuary into a cave, and he might as well have been a hermit. He was a lot like Lord Oras, quiet as a shadow, except Harahn probably _was_ half asleep. The group didn't seem to pay him much mind, though. But whenever he spoke, he seemed to add significantly to the conversation. He and Sahasrahla could often be seen discussing things amongst themselves during the meetings. Link didn't know much more about him other than that.

The last two magi were surprisingly young compared to the other two. Chris was a tall, thin fellow with a round head and blond hair of modest length. He had bright eyes, a wide mouth, and a narrow nose. He preferred to be straightforward, but he was not quite so harsh as Lady Issma in voicing his opinions. He favored more optimistic, light-hearted approaches to circumstances, from what little Link had heard from Chris himself.

Yunala, Chris's wife, was perhaps the most levelheaded of the lot. She had a heart-shaped face, soft in all of its features, which belied her magical prowess. Her hair was a dark golden brown and straight, the length reaching to the middle of her back. She was the last to get riled up and the first to quiet things down. She was very practical and thoughtful in her reasoning, which complimented her husband's personality in a surprising way.

Link couldn't think of a stranger assortment of people than what met in Uncle's home these dark nights. As Link's thoughts reflected on these people, and the recent events transpiring, he was now almost sure it had something to do with Agahnim. They never mentioned much about him while out in public, like they were trying to stay low-key about the situation. But as far as what they were scheming or doing, Link had about given up trying to find out.

_It must be important_, Link thought to himself, _to still meet on a night like this_.

Link turned away from the door again to face the opposite wall and closed his eyes. He could sleep well enough through bad weather. But his mind wouldn't stop thinking. After a few minutes he burst from his sheets in frustration and paced stiffly around the room, occasionally throwing dark looks at his bed as though to blame it for keeping him up.

"Maybe instead," he said to himself, "I should try running that new sword technique Uncle taught me through my mind again."

Link climbed back into bed and began to visualize himself on the back lawn with his uncle. Every day, first thing in the morning, without exception, Smith trained Link in the art of swordsmanship for two straight hours. Link never looked forward to it. Smith trained him more like a slave master would drive cattle. And Link was terrible with a sword. At least, that was the impression Smith made, because he never had anything complimentary to say. Link tried to avoid training sometimes, but Smith was always one step ahead of him. No matter what scheme Link tried, Smith would find him, clamp and heavy hand onto his ear, and lead him out into the breaking dawn.

So Link wasn't very enthusiastic about running memories of training through his mind. It was a desperate attempt at falling asleep.

He visualized himself in the beginning stance. In his mind's eye, he pictured himself out on the back lawn with his sword. He spread his legs out, left leg more forward and straightened out, the other tucked underneath so that he was in a sort of crouching position. With sword in hand, he extended the blade behind his back and into the air. He held the position, making sure his arms and legs were properly positioned.

Something in his mind nagged at him. He wasn't sure if it was his own mind or the memory of Smith plaguing him. _No, your left leg is too straight_, it said. _You put too much weight on the other leg. It'll make the attack too slow._ Link jerked in his bed and rocked to his side. Pressing his eyes tightly closed, he reformed the scene, and repositioned himself. _No_, the nagging said again. _Your sword is sagging too much. Your sword must point straight up to the sky, or you won't be able to channel the energy correctly._

"This isn't working…!" Link growled through his teeth, leaping from his bed. He started pacing agitatedly again around the room, trying to come up with more pleasant thoughts to lull him to sleep. When he finally had something, he slid into bed once more and gently closed his eyes.

There was a little hill to the south Link went every now and then, whenever he had the chance. It wasn't far down the road, but far enough to consider whether you wanted to make the walk. It had just enough elevation for a spectacular view of the surrounding region. Hyrule Castle, of course, dominated the scene directly north, with colorful banners atop the tower turrets flapping in the wind, Death Mountain serving as a backdrop behind. Then there was Kakariko Town to the northwest, the tallest buildings and plumes of smoke just clearing the treetops. Beyond it loomed the terraced marshlands. To the east could be seen the azure roofs of the Village of the Blue Maiden, the home of Hyrule's magi. To the southeast glinted the shores of Lake Hylia. And to the south a narrow network of canyons leading to the Desert Wastes was visible.

Link loved it there. He'd rest against the little tree that grew on top. He especially loved it up there at sunset. The twilight spread a serene fiery glow across the country that warmed his heart and calmed his mind. Sometimes the late afternoon breeze would caress his check, and he would sink into the grass under the tree branches to sleep. And when he awoke, the sky would be filled with stars, winking over the countryside. And almost always Smith would walking up from the base of the hill. Then there was the usual response, "…Was getting late…didn't come home…worried sick…" But he was never really mad, just being a parent. And then they'd walk home together and talk about things. And once in a while those conversations went on long after they got home and long into the night.

A gentle roll of thunder passed through the room. Link was finally able to keep his eyes comfortably closed, and a light sleep began to fall over him, when suddenly a faint voice that seemed to come from no particular direction reached his ears. He sat bolt upright. It was the voice of a girl. It sounded hazy and distant. Her voice was urgent and panicky.

"…Help me… Please, help me… I am…Princess Zelda… I'm being held…in the castle dungeon…"

Link looked around the room earnestly, but no one was there. The voice sounded as though it had been spoken to his mind rather than to his ears.

Link noticed the light leaking through the cracks of the bedroom door flicker, and the screeching of wooden chair legs came from the next room. Link could no longer resist the urge to see what was happening. He again slid out of bed and crept over to the door to pear into the other room through a small knothole just below the doorknob.

Everyone there was standing straight up with wide eyes gazing around the room as though they had seen a ghost. _Did they…did they hear it, too?_ Link wondered to himself. _What's going on?_ They all stood there rooted to their spots for a minute or two. But one by one, the people sat back down into their chairs, still flicking their heads around as though someone might suddenly jump out of the shadows.

A few moments went by, and then it happened again. "…Help me… Please, help me… I am…Princess Zelda… I'm being held…in the castle dungeon…"

Link started again, but not as violently. The others in the room reacted likewise. He heard the humming of their conversations begin again, as incoherent as ever. It was louder than usual; they were talking all at once and very quickly.

The voice in the darkness spoke no more. They went on for quite some time, and Link's eyelids started feeling heavy. _Oh, so now I feel tired_, he brooded to himself. As if on cue, however, the people stood from their chairs to head home for the night. Link noticed Chris wave his hand through the air and felt an odd rippling pass over him like a gentle breath of wind or like a wave of water passing over him. Suddenly Link could now hear their voices clearly.

"I'd better hurry back to the gate," said Sir Gonar to Link's uncle. "My shift's about to start. If you'd like I can let you sneak through."

"That won't be necessary, Gonar," Smith's gruff voice replied. "That may attract too much attention, and it'd get you in trouble unnecessarily. I plan to use the 'alternative' way."

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" the soft voice of Yunala asked Smith. "You know it'll be dangerous, especially if what Rigel and the others say is true. And…you're not as young as you used to be."

"I've already said no," Smith argued, ignoring the comment on his age. "This is my duty alone." Smith briefly glanced to the side before hastily adding, "And we shouldn't be discussing this anymore without Chris's Shell in place."

There was a moment of silence followed by the sound of footsteps heading out into the night. "May the Goddesses grant you luck, tonight," Lady Issma said to Smith as she left. "Do be careful."

Link leaned closer to the knothole for a better view of the front door. Everyone bowed to Smith as they disappeared into the heavy rain. When they were all gone, Smith sat heavily into a chair, looked down at his feet, and sighed. Link watched him earnestly for several minutes, the small flame of the candle on the table casting light that danced across his face. Link had never seen such a look of worry on his uncle's face before. He knew that when Uncle was worried, it wasn't good.

Smith stood after a moment from his chair and made his way toward the bedroom door. At once Link jumped up and dashed back into bed. He just pulled the covers over him as his uncle opened the door with a faint creak. Link heard him walk quietly over to the wardrobe and pull out some items. There was another moment of silence before he felt a large, warm hand against his back. Link twisted around in bed, trying to look as though he had just been asleep.

"Uncle," Link said in his raspiest voice he could manage. He looked up into his uncle's rough face with bushy mustache, large eyebrows, and black hair with a hint of gray. He was dressed for traveling, and Link could see the sheath of a sword underneath his thick cloak and the old family shield hanging from his back.

"Link," his uncle responded. "I need to go out for a little while. I should be back by morning. Until then, stay inside." Before Link could respond, Smith gave him a quick hug and walked to the door, closing it with another creak.


	2. The Rescue

**Chapter 2**

_The Rescue_

Link heard the momentary rising and falling sound of rain as his uncle stepped out into the night, closing the door behind him. Then he sat up again.

"He's gone out," Link said to himself, "…with the sword and shield. Why? It must have had something to do with what was discussed in the meeting tonight."

Link ran the scene through his mind again. Had they all heard Princess Zelda's voice, too? "They must have," Link concluded. It was the only explanation. She sounded like she was in trouble. The dungeons, she said was in. Well, if you're in the dungeons, chances are you're in _big_ trouble. "But what's the princess doing in the castle dungeons?" Link wondered.

His thoughts wandered back to his uncle's untimely departure. "Is that why he's left? To go rescue the princess? Farore, he looked like he was marching to his death!" He simply couldn't shake the foreboding feeling suddenly cast over this rainy night. His uncle had left fully armed in the middle of the night into the wildest of storms Link could remember ever experiencing to infiltrate the castle dungeons in an attempt to rescue the princess Zelda…alone.

The others were right, he felt; Smith was going to need some help. It didn't take long for Link to decide what he was going to do. He wasn't sure _how _he was going to help, or even if he could at this point, but…

Leaving his bed (for the final time that night), Link went to retrieve his own lantern from the bedroom shelf. He struck a match to light it then turned to the wardrobe. As fast as he could he changed out of his pajamas and into a green tunic, cotton pants, and thick leather boots. Link considered dressing more warmly, but there was no use in dressing too heavily tonight. The rain would soak him through no matter what he wore, and he'd dry out faster if he dressed light. Once dressed, Link left the bedroom with his lantern and retrieved a dark and heavy traveling cloak from one of the pegs next to the front door. When at last he was ready, he eased the front door open and stared out into the black night. With a deep breath, he dashed out into the rain.

Uncle Smith once told Link about the day His Majesty offered him a position in the Royal Council. His friends had referred him to the king, regarding him as a valuable mind that the Council needed. But he refused as graciously as he could. He didn't feel like it was his place to be. He instead chose to remain at home with his nephew, forging swords and teaching people how to use them. His friends in the Council were of course very disappointed. They still visited him often, of course. It was easy for them to do, because the house wasn't very far from the castle to begin with, maybe a quarter mile down the highway from the castle's south gate and another quarter mile down a wooded path connecting to it.

But tonight the path was so dark and wet that navigating to the castle felt more like walking ten miles. Walking on its own was difficult enough, with Link's feet sloshing and slipping in the mud. Miserably, he trudged his way down the road. When he finally got to the castle gates, he felt like he had just mud-wrested with a Goron after swimming the length of Zora River.

"Halt!" cried the gate guard with Sir Gonar's familiar voice, though the roar of the rain drowned out most of the volume. "Who goes there?" Link approached cautiously, and Gonar looked down at him. Although his visor was down, Link could practically see his disapproving expression.

"Gonar, right?" Link addressed the guard, trying to sound cheerful and casual. "How's it going out here?"

"Link," Gonar replied, "what are you doing out so late in this Farore-forsaken weather? You should be home in bed right now, you know. Your uncle's bound to be worried."

"I'm probably more worried about him as he's not home at the moment," Link replied loudly through the rain.

"You're not looking for him, are you?" Gonar asked.

"Yes, I am. What's he doing? Where's he going?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say. He's…got some important things to do tonight, Link. It would be best if you went back home. Don't worry about him. He'll be alright. It's best you not know what he's up to, anyway."

"This…isn't about Zelda, is it?"

"What?" This spurned one of those rare moments when Gonar was visibly surprised. "How did you know? Those damn Shells of Silence were supposed to—"

"It wasn't anything I heard from _you_," Link interrupted. "I heard her voice for myself. I figured you and everyone else did, too."

The soldier slapped a gauntleted hand to his visor. "Well," he began to stutter, "I must say that's…er…well…" He reached through his visor to scratch a spot on his face. "Okay, let's put it this way. Regardless of what you heard or saw, or whatever, there's nothing you need worry about. It's your uncle's job, and he will be fine. Just go home…before you catch cold in this rain."

Link frowned and realized this wasn't going to turn around for him, so he shuffled miserably back toward the bridge. Link glanced back at the gate, wondering what he was going to do next. Gonar's reassurances did nothing to console his anxiety. He still felt that something was wrong, and he needed to find out what.

He suddenly remembered what Gonar had said to his uncle before, about letting him through the gate. Uncle had replied that he was going to use the "alternate" way. Did that mean there another way into the castle? If so, where was it?

Link was halfway across the bridge when he almost missed a small yellow-white light dart by far to his left. He watched the light bob slightly as it glided like a specter over the mote, and it soon disappeared behind the corner of the castle wall. Before it vanished, Link could just barely make out the silhouette of a hooded figure. "That wasn't Uncle, was it…?" he wondered to himself. No, it couldn't have been. The figure was too thin, too graceful. And last time Link checked, Smith couldn't jump twenty feet in a single bound to clear the castle mote.

Before pursuing, Link blew out his lantern to keep Gonar from seeing him. Lying low, he sneaked back across the bridge and abruptly turned to the right, resting his hand on the wall at his left and following it down. At the corner he stopped and peered around it to spy out the light. It wasn't there. Just the darkness and the rain…

Thinking perhaps the light, and the one bearing it, turned the second corner up ahead, he resumed to quickly follow the wall further down. Suddenly he felt himself topple over a large object that gave a loud, high-pitched yelp as his face rushed to meet the ground. Link landed on his face with his feet propped up above him, his body resting over the struggling thing he tripped over.

"You idiot…" hissed the unfamiliar voice of a girl harshly (definitely not Smith's).

"Who goes there!" called out a sentry upon the wall from a ways ahead.

In one sweeping motion, the hooded girl immediately pushed Link off of her, rose to her feet, grabbed him, and slammed him against the wall. She likewise flattened herself as much as she could, pressing one of her arms against Link's chest. A small circle of light from the sentry's lantern illuminated the spot they had been seconds before.

Neither Link, the girl, nor the sentry moved for some time. Link watched with great apprehension the circle of light sway this way and that as the sentry searched for the source of the sound. The girl's eyes never left the sentry's position on the wall. "Who goes there?" the sentry demanded again.

Apparently realizing the sentry wasn't moving anytime soon, the girl made a low, raspy meowing sound that Link found quite convincing. Her cat imitation must have worked, because the sentry withdrew his light a few seconds later and continued on his way down the wall.

When at last Link felt the coast was clear, he breathed to the girl, "Wow, that was a close one."

The girl released her hold on him and turned to glare at him. A pair of faintly golden eyes glinted irritatingly at him. "Yeah, no thanks to you, buster!" she hissed. "Next time watch where you're going."

"How was I supposed to see anything?" Link responded. "In case you didn't notice, it's nighttime, and it's raining…thickly, I might add."

"Who are you, anyway?" the girl demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Link gave her a somewhat offended look. "I might be asking you the same question, miss."

The girl hesitated for a moment. "Well…I asked you first!" she replied defiantly.

The hooded girl was only slightly shorter than Link and very slender. Her hands had long, thin fingers. The cloak and gloves she wore were black and hid the rest of her features. Even with the cloak possibly hiding something, she didn't seem to be carrying any equipment or tools with her. Despite her intense agitation, there was warmth and honesty in her eyes.

"My name's Link," Link answered. "I'm here because…I'm worried about someone."

The girl's tenseness relaxed somewhat. She probably wasn't expecting a straightforward answer so quickly. "Okay…um…the name's Myra," she decided to answer back. "I'm…also here because I'm worried about someone."

They stood there staring at each other for a moment, at a loss for words. It was apparent to both of them that the other was debating within themselves how much information was safe to divulge and wondering what the other was hiding. Their daze was interrupted, however, when the girl Myra spied another sentry's light speeding up the lawn right for them. She quickly shoved Link back against the wall, pressing herself against the stones next to him just in time to avoid it. Link resisted the urge to growl with distaste.

"Do you have to be so rough?" Link mumbled when it was reasonably safe to speak again.

"Would you rather I let you stand around like an idiot and get caught?" she answered tartly. "Now leave me alone! I'm looking for something." She turned away from him, dropped to her hands and knees, and began sweeping her arms around in the wet grass.

"Looking for what?" Link questioned suspiciously.

"If you must know, a way inside."

"Into the castle? From here?"

"Yes," she replied impatiently. "I saw a man disappear around here a little earlier. There must be a secret entrance into the castle."

"That must have been my uncle!" Link said, more to himself than to her. "He said something about an alternate way inside. It must be somewhere around here."

"Your uncle?" Myra repeated. "What's he doing out here? Is he the one you're worried about?"

"Yeah, and he's worried about the princess," Link answered. "I think we both heard her voice earlier tonight, and she's in trouble."

"Y-you did?" Myra stuttered. "That's funny. I think I heard the same thing, too."

"Is that why you're here, too, then?"

"Well, yes and no. I'm more looking for my sister that the princess. But right now I don't think is a good time to explain."

"Right, maybe later," Link agreed. "So, you said he disappeared right around here?"

"Yes," Myra answered. "He slipped out of my view somewhere near the wall here. There must a trap door or hole in the ground."

"Then let me help you find it," Link offered. "We'll find it faster that way." He likewise dropped down to his knees, and they both began to feel around for anything out of the ordinary. He could barely make out the things in front of him, and his hands were icy cold after only a few minutes of searching.

After some time his left hand collided with a large bush against the castle wall. He started to feel around it when he realized there was wood mingled with grass under his hand. He continued to feel around until his fingers felt the icy hard surface of an iron ring.

"Hey," whispered Link. "I think I found something."

Myra crept over to him from her position further down the wall. "What is it?"

"It must be a trap door," he said.

The girl pushed her hands underneath the bush and grasped the iron ring. "You're right. This must be it!"

The trap door was not very large at all, only about two to three feet square. The door was covered with grass and mud. It was a wonder Link found it at all in the darkness. As quietly as they could muster, they both slipped behind the bush and pulled the wooden trap door open, revealing a small square hole in the ground. Looking into it, all they could see was blackness.

Link crouched down to stick his legs into the hole and gently lowered himself down until he was holding on to the sides. "I can't feel any solid ground," he said, reaching down as far as he could with his toes.

"Just jump," she told him. "I'll be right behind you."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered to himself. Link didn't like the idea of jumping into a black abyss with no idea of how far down it went and what waited at the bottom. But, mustering his courage, he let go of the edges and, thankfully, fell only a short distance, splashing into a large pool of water. If there were any dry areas left on his clothes or body, the splash probably soaked the remainder of them. He heard the girl's voice echo from above, announcing her descent, and he moved out of her way. She soon splashed down to Link's side, and moaned while pulling up her drenched outfit.

"Oh…I knew I should have worn my other robes," she complained.

"I can't see a thing down here," Link said, his voice echoing around him. "And now my matches are all wet. I can't relight my lantern."

"Not a problem," Myra responded. She brought her hands close to her breast and muttered the words, "_Tha'eed uv lu katezez, reveth lu yae l'rae lu targ'mez_." As she chanted these strange words, Link felt a sensation like a warm breeze swirl around him. Upon finishing, she raised her hands above her head and cried, "Glowing Orb!" A ball of yellow-white light burst forth and rose into the air from her cupped hands. It gently hovered just above their heads, its light illuminating their surroundings. Link recognized the light source to be identical to the one possessed by the mysterious figure from before.

He could now see Myra's face in the light. She had a round head atop a small neck. Her eyes were round, making the gold of her irises stand out. Her nose was narrow and curved up at the tip. Her lips were small and delicate. Long golden hair adorned her head with several locks bundled by little silver ringlets hanging in front of her shoulders. Link hadn't expected such an attractive girl to own that sassy voice.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Link applauded her spell. "You must be a magus."

"Obviously," Myra replied with satisfaction.

"What was that language you were speaking?"

"Ancient Hylian," Myra stated matter-of-factly. "Not a lot of people know it, but it's absolutely necessary for using magic, at least in the beginning. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to speak. Some magi are good enough that they don't actually have to say the words.

"I see…" Link acknowledged, his interest now waning. He disliked unexpectedly long explanations to his questions.

"Well, that aside," Myra started, "Let's get a move on."

"Right," Link agreed.

The pair now found themselves ankle deep in a pool of water surrounded by stone walls. The sound of trickling rain water seeping through the ground echoed everywhere. Looking above, Link could see the earthen ceiling and the little square that was the trap door about five feet above him. Perhaps someone taller than him could reach it from here. But if they were getting out, they'd have to find a different way. To the side was a drier, narrow stone corridor.

Taking the passage, they walked a ways before an abrupt turn to the right. After some distance more they came to a flight of stairs. At the top they found a doorway of sorts covered by the back of a tapestry and concealed by a considerably large statue. Bright candlelight filtered around the edges of the tapestry. Myra waved her hands at the ball of light floating around them, and it immediately dispelled. She and Link then peered through the gaps between the tapestry and the doorway and saw the furnished interior of Hyrule Castle.

"Excellent!" Link expressed happily. "We're inside." But just as he was about to pass through the doorway, Myra yanked him back. "What was that fo—" he started, but Myra slapped a hand to his mouth, muffling the last word, as she continued to gaze cautiously through the doorway.

As if out of nowhere, two castle guards approached each other from opposite ends of the corridor beyond. "Evenin' Cals," saluted the first.

"Evenin' Hurr," the other replied. "Say, did you hear something?"

"No," the first replied. "Not a thing. Why do you ask?"

"I could've sworn I heard a voice over here," the second answered. He paused for a moment, looking around the corridor. "I don't know. Maybe it was just the wind or something."

"Yeah, sure is a heck of a storm out there," the other added. "Making all kinds of noises…. Take it easy tonight, okay Cals?"

"Sure thing, Hurr." The guards continued on their way.

By then Link's lungs were screaming for air; Myra's grip was pressure tight. When the soldiers were finally gone, she released her hold, and Link gasped.

"You wouldn't happen to know the definition of the word _stealthy_, now would you?" she whispered harshly to him. "Goddesses, you're dense!"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Link threw back. "The way's clear this time, so can we just make our way to the dungeons? That's where Zelda should be."

"If you're inconspicuousness doesn't improve, we may find ourselves in the dungeons faster than I'd like, if you know what I mean." Link passed her a dark look. Myra chuckled lightly before glancing past the tapestry again.

"Coast is clear," she said. "C'mon, Mr. Clumsy."

"Ha, ha…" Link replied as he followed her.

There were two features of the castle that immediately came to Link's attention. The first was that, in agreement with the rumors of heightened security, there were a lot of guards patrolling the hallways. Link and Myra overheard several of their conversations, and many of them were of the like mind that it seemed rather excessive for so many guards to be out and about this late at night, with a storm in full force no less. Some muttered secretively that they thought Agahnim was being paranoid. The second was that there were a great number of columns, statues, suits of armor on display, tapestries, and doorways to hide behind. This, of course, was a blessing in Link's eyes. Otherwise they never would have been able to get past all those guards. More than once he and Myra were forced to flee into a vacant side room and wait for several minutes before their way was unobstructed again.

After wandering and hiding for what seemed like hours, the duo finally found a stairway leading into the lower levels of the castle. "About time we made some progress," Link commented.

"I'm just glad the guards are really bad at their job," Myra added.

"It may just be the sheer number of guards leading them into a false sense of security," Link suggested. "No one in their right mind would break into the castle with so many soldiers strutting around."

"…No one except us," Myra said lightly with a hint of nervousness in her tone.

The brightly lit halls gave way to torch lit corridors of stone not unlike the secret passage. There were far fewer places to hide, but a lot less guards to worry about as well. This was not necessarily comforting, however. After giving the third guard down here the slip, Link started to notice that the guards down here behaved much differently than the others. They walked very uprightly and rigidly, more like they were marching than walking. They never let their gaze wander but continued to stare straight ahead until deciding to turn around. And whenever they would pass by one another, not so much as a friendly gesture passed between them. It sort of reminded Link of the blue bubble curse from the previous year. But these guards seemed far from clumsy. They were quite alert and mobile. Whatever it was, it gave Link the creeps.

Link and Myra dove into an unoccupied storage room and behind some crates when two guards pinned them into an isolated corridor. They didn't dare breath until the guards passed them by. "It's a miracle we've even made it this far," Myra said, recapping in their little escapade. "What _is_ it with the guards down here?"

"I don't know how much longer we can keep this up," Link said worryingly. "I'm starting wonder how on earth we're going to make it back out of here. Maybe I should have stayed home after all."

"No, we can't," Myra said in a surprisingly firm way. "We have to keep moving."

Link eyed her with confusion. "You seem awfully concerned about the princess," he said to her.

"No, it's really not her, I'm sorry to say. I'm not saying I don't care about the princess. I do. But it's my sister I'm really worried about."

"Don't tell me she's here for Zelda, too…" Link whispered with a raised eyebrow.

"No, it's nothing like that. See, she was kidnapped about a week ago. And I'm here looking for her."

"What in the world makes you think she's here in the castle?" Link questioned her incredulously.

Myra's face narrowed. "We're twins. And we're magi. We can sense each other's presence. The day she was kidnapped I lost my connection with her somehow. But the last place I could feel her before she disappeared was here at the castle."

Link blinked several times trying to make sense of Myra's explanation. "So, of all times, why go looking for her tonight?"

Myra turned to stare off at the doorway. "Well, it wasn't like I could just go up to the castle gates and say, 'I'm here to pick up my sister and take her home now, and don't try to tell me otherwise, because I know she's here.' And I never really considered breaking into the castle as an option. But then tonight, I heard Zelda's voice, and I guess you could say I made my mind up at that point." She turned back to Link and threw him a dark look. "Yeah, yeah, you probably think I'm crazy."

"…Well," Link replied, "not necessarily. I'm just as much concerned about my uncle as you are about your sister. I can't say what I'm doing right now is the smartest thing I've ever done. I'm not even sure why I'm doing this. But…I just have this feeling that he's going to need me tonight."

Myra raised her brow in moderate surprise. She didn't expect him to understand her so readily. Link noticed and couldn't help passing her a weak smile. She at once rose from her hiding place, scanned the corridor outside, and motioned for Link to hurry.

At once, Link heard a sharp whistling sound from the way they had come. Link spun around in alarm as the metallic clank of metal against stone began to echo throughout the corridor. Before either of them could move, several guards flashed out of a side corridor a ways down to their left…and continued right on down another. Link blinked several times, holding his breath. Two more followed closely behind, but they also failed to notice Link and Myra.

"What in Din's name—" Myra started. But her sentence was cut off by loud clangs and grunts, followed by guards flying back from the passage they had entered, one by one, into a heap. When the pile numbered five unconscious guards, a lone figure in a dark travelling cloak wielding a sword and shield appeared from the corridor. While inspecting his handiwork, the figure turned his head to Link and Myra, revealing a scowling set of bushy black eyebrows and mustache. It was Smith.

"My Goddesses," he swore. "What the hell are you doing here, Link?"

"Uncle!" Link whispered back. "It's you. I'm so glad to see you!"

The sweet feelings of relief were soon swept away as Link watched his uncle's livid face approach him, the sense of dread growing with every billow of his cape and every heavily placed step that he took. "What in Din's name are you thinking, boy?" he hissed furiously at him. "Do you realize how much danger you've placed yourself into?"

"I…I was worried about you," Link responded desperately. "When you left the house…with that depressed look on your face… I…I wanted to know what you were going to do when I saw you all armed like…well, like this!" He gestured to Smith's sword and shield, still withdrawn.

Smith, of course, was not pleased by this response. "I told you I was going to be fine," he chastised. "How did you even know I was headed here?"

"Well, I heard Zelda's voice. And then you went out. So I figured you were headed to the castle to find the princess."

Smith's eyes widened with something akin to fear. "Well, regardless of what happened, you've made my job significantly more difficult. Now I have to get _two _teenagers out of here safely." Smith hesitated for a moment to redo his math. "…Three teenagers…" he corrected himself, eyeing Myra who was trying to stand as inconspicuously as possible. "Link, who is that?"

"Myra," Link answered. "She's the one who helped me get inside the castle."

"No, no," Myra responded quickly, "No need to get me involved."

"Myra?" Smith repeated. "Chris and Yunala's daughter? Why is _she_ here?"

"That's what we'd like to know ourselves," whispered a new voice from behind Myra. Link ripped his head around and nearly lost balance from being startled so acutely. From the gloom emerged Chris and Yunala.

"Mom!" Myra squealed. "Dad!" Link swiveled his gaze between Myra and the approaching magi with amazement. So Myra was their daughter!

"Chris…Yunala…" Smith stuttered. "Why are you here? I thought I told everyone I could handle this on my own."

"We're here because, whether you like it or not, you do, in fact, need our help," Yunala replied smartly.

"Zelda is not just your princess to rescue, you know," Chris added.

"And what you've apparently failed to notice," Yunala continued, "is that we had to take out five more guards down here just to keep you from getting ambushed."

Smith stared dumbfounded at his magi friends for a moment. "I…er…well…okay," he stuttered. "I appreciate the backup, I guess."

"You're quite welcome," Yunala replied with a smile.

"Now, about these two…" Chris began, returning to the younger two.

"Frankly, I'm just as amazed as the rest of us that both of you managed to avoid the guards up to this point," Yunala commented. "But that aside, I don't know if a proper word has been invented yet to fully explain how…distraught you've made your father and me. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you've gotten yourself into?"

Myra did not shrink as severely as Link had under his uncle's own disapproval. "Mother," she responded fiercely, "I'm not a little child anymore. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, not after Sarah got kidnapped! Nothing was being done for her."

"That is selfish and untrue," Chris censured his daughter. "Think for a minute: what if you were caught, huh? You'd land yourself in the dungeons, and then we'd have _two _missing daughters! More has been done to find Sarah than you know, Myra, and the fact is that you're getting yourself into something way more involved than a simple kidnapping."

"Folks," Smith intervened, "I hate to put this on pause, but now's not exactly the best time for disciplining." Link winced, but his muscles relaxed somewhat now that his chiding was to be delayed.

"Right," Chris agreed. "Best keep moving."

"But…what about the children?" Yunala asked. Myra grimaced from being called a child.

"Chris, Yunala," Smith answered, "I really do appreciate your help, but I think it would be best if you left me to it and got the kids out. I can do the rest on my own."

"You're as stubborn as ever," Chris teased him. "There's no way we'd leave something like this to you alone."

"And as it stands," Yunala put in, "I don't think it would be wise for us all to leave just yet."

Smith groaned like a sixteen-year-old getting a lecture from his parents, very much like the way Link groaned when it was time for sword training. No one seemed to be agreeing with him tonight. "May I ask why?"

"Well," Yunala continued with a wry smile, very much in line with the motherly figure, "We need to ensure the safety of the princess above all else. And even if we were to try and leave, suppose we were seen; the whole castle would be alerted, and that wouldn't help your situation, now would it?"

"And, besides, is accepting a little help really that hard?" Chris added.

"Alright, alright!" Smith bellowed, but quickly softening his voice. "I get the point! Let's just get this over with as soon as possible."

With everyone more or less satisfied, everyone helped Smith move the unconscious guards into the storage room Link and Myra had been hiding in just before. Chris and Yunala cast an interesting binding spell on their hands and feet to keep them from moving too much should they awaken, and they gagged their mouths with a few potatoes they found in a barrel. Then they followed Smith down the corridor from which he had attacked the guards towards the dungeons. At the end, a set of spiral stairs wound its way further down underground. They emerged into a large, cold corridor even more dimly lit than the level above filled with cells. The adults hastily fanned out and down the dungeon, checking each cell for royal occupants. All empty…

At the far end, the corridor made a turn to the left. So everyone made their way around the corner to the next section of the dungeon. As soon as they did so, however, they came to a noisy, colliding halt.

This section of the dungeon only had a few cells, two on each side. On the last cell to the left was a huge padlock. Inside the cell was a girl about Link and Myra's age, and she was the most beautiful creature Link had ever seen. The contours of her face were in perfect proportion. Her nose was petit and pointed, as well as her chin. Her skin was fair, her cheeks a light rosy color. Her eyes shone brilliantly blue, calm and yet fierce at the same time. Long, silky blonde hair fell from her head and graced her shoulders like waves of water. Her lips possessed a tender crimson color. Her clothing consisted of a light pink dress, colorful adornments around her waist and shoulders, white elbow-length gloves, and a simple golden tiara with the herald of the House of Hyrule—a hawk bearing three triangles—atop her head. There was no mistaking the girl's identity. It was the princess Zelda.

Under the dim torchlight of the dungeons, she sat in a moldy old chair with a mixed look of hopelessness and apprehension. Yet circumstances could not cloud her radiance from Link's eyes. Her very presence made the dingy stone halls a touch more cheerful, the flame of the torches a tad more inviting, the evening's atmosphere just a little less frightening.

But what made everyone stumble to a stop was the heavily armored guard sitting silently but perfectly alert in a chair with crossed arms next to Zelda's cell. Stirred by the noise, he rose like a golem to his feet. The brief moment in which Zelda captivated Link's attention was replaced with horror as Link began to realize every detail of the guard's stature. He was big—big, tall, strong, brawny, strapping, burly, muscular—big! Link was especially preoccupied by the nasty ball-and-chain the guard held and was now brandishing threateningly. The princess stirred from her melancholy by the sound and movement, arose from her rickety chair, and went to the cell bars to see the commotion. She gasped as her eyes fell upon the infiltrators.

"I…think we found the princess…" Link announced, his voice quivering.

The formidable giant of a guard dropped the ball end of his weapon, grasping part of the chain, and began to swing it above his head. With a mighty grunt he flung the ball at the group. Everybody immediately scattered in multiple directions, gasping and screaming as they leaped. With a fluid, effortless pull, the guard yanked his weapon back with one arm, clasped the chain again with the other, and prepared for another attack.

"Alright," Smith began, rising from the floor. "I'm going in. Yunala, help me distract his attention.

"Right," Yunala affirmed from her position on the other side of the corridor next to Chris. She withdrew from her robes an intricately carved wooden staff.

"Chris, use that time to summon up a stunning spell," Smith commanded. "He's a big one, and heavily armored. Be sure to make it a good, strong one."

"Gotcha covered," Chris assured, drawing his staff out also. "Kids, you stay out of the way!"

A tinge of rebellious determination pulsed through both the teenagers. Myra was visibly disappointed at being told to sit out, but Link was not at all willing to argue. Sure, he had been studying and practicing under Hyrule's most renowned swordsman since he was four, but he had never been in a real fight. And going against a man roughly three times his size didn't seem like the best opponent with which to test himself.

The guard let fly another attack with his ball-and-chain in the direction of the two adult magi. The two separated, Yunala dashing to Smith's side, Chris back pedaling, just as the ball came hurling into the floor, sending bits of stone flying in all directions. While the guard retracted his weapon, Smith dashed forward to engage. Yunala quickly muttered a spell; Link could barely make out the words, "_Yim't uv Farore, zud'th p'thaet, gudeem er, aet nee liz a'or, amt z'draeg ta'om na'ee fohz,_" and he felt a rush of cool wind pass him. "Wind Blades!" she cried, and her staff started glowing with a soft gray light. Then she immediately rushed forward to help Smith.

Seeing his opponents moving for close range, the guard dropped the handle of his weapon from one hand and wrapped the excess chain around the other, and then he pulled a large war hammer from a harness on his back. The time he took to adjust his weapons, however, gave Smith and Yunala the chance to strike.

The spell Yunala cast, Link observed, allowed Yunala to fire powerful blasts of air as she swung her staff. The impact of her wind blade attacks merely rang as clearly as a church bell off the guard's armor, but the force caused him to falter back somewhat. Smith used the chance to throw the guard further off balance with his own sword attacks.

While that was going on, Chris wasted no time with his spell. "_Z'birid uv Farore, gree'aedr uv tha'eef…_" he began to whisper.

It seemed like Smith and Yunala had the upper hand, but the guard managed to swing the ball-and-chain in a vertical circle, which forced the two to back away, and immediately followed with an outward swing of the hammer. Zelda gasped from her cell. Smith dropped to the floor to dodge the blow, and Yunala did a fancy twirl in the air, throwing another wind blade attack from her staff as she landed on the floor. This time the guard blocked part of the blast with the head of his hammer which absorbed the spell completely.

"…_gum'ten mahd doo tel na'ee raecheem foh,_" Chris continued to whisper, "_pud z'na'eed hin yil luh p'thag'mehz uv treen'thez z'theeb._" The hair on Link's neck began to stand on end as a queer vibrating sensation rippled through him. Red energy began to coalesce into a ball shape above Chris's outstretched hand. "_Z'birid uv Farore…_" he began to chant again, this time a little more loudly. "…_gree'aedr uv tha'eef…_"

Link's stomach clenched tighter as he continued to watch his uncle in battle. The guard had now put Smith and Yunala completely on the defensive, swinging his hammer and his ball-and-chain with surprising agility, considering the weight of his choice of weapons. Yunala kept her distance while constantly flinging wind blades at her enemy. But her opponent easily blocked the attacks with his hammer. Every spell it absorbed, caused symbols to faintly glow then fade away on the weapon. Smith was focusing all his efforts to just dodging all of the guard's attacks. Link could tell he was beginning to tire as his parrying was starting to lag.

"…_gum'ten mahd doo tel na'ee raecheem foh…_" Chris sang. The red ball in his hand began to enlarge, the light intensified, and little sparks started to spin around it. "_…pud z'na'eed hin yil luh p'thag'mehz uv treen'thez z'theeb._"

Zelda screamed, and Link gasped. The guard's ball-and-chain connected with his uncle, sending him flying across the dungeon corridor into the bars of the cell across from Zelda's, grunting in pain. He had just pulled his shield up in time to guard the blow, leaving a considerable dent in it. Link prayed that little family shield would hold up long enough for Chris to finish whatever spell he was casting.

"Now would be a good time, Chris!" Yunala bellowed, flinging herself in front of the guard to give Smith some time to recover before the guard could follow-up with another attack.

"_Z'birid uv Farore, gree'aedr uv tha'eef,_" Chris continued to chant, still more loudly and more quickly than before, "_ gum'ten mahd doo tel na'ee raecheem foh…!_"

Yunala was suddenly knocked down by a glancing strike from the guard's hammer, and Myra whimpered. The guard began swinging his ball-and-chain above his head again, ready to bring it down on top of her.

""_…pud z'na'eed hin yil luh p'thag'mehz uv treen'thez z'theeb!_"

Before the guard could complete his attack, Yunala aimed a quick blast from her staff at the guard's swinging ball. The spell connected, and the ball went careening into the wall behind, yanking the guard's chain-wrapped hand back with it and throwing him off balance. He spun around to recover his balance, leaving his back entirely exposed.

"Now, Chris!" Yunala cried.

"Disable Bolt!" Chris roared, throwing the spell-ball at the stumbling guard. The spell sailed through the air like a lightning bolt, flattening into a spinning disc and throwing sparks as it went, until it collided squarely into the guard's turned back with a spectacular explosion of red and white light. The guard immediately toppled forward, landing with a heavy, loud clang. The guard remained on the ground and ceased to move.

Link cooed with amazement. Everyone hung stupefied momentarily in the sudden silence of the dungeon.

"Are you okay, Uncle?" Link pleaded, rushing to his uncle's side and helping him to his feet.

"Well, my back feels like an Armos slammed into it, and my shield arm is throbbing, but other than that I'm fine," he replied, getting up with some difficulty. He pulled the shield off and clutched his injured arm with the other. A nasty set of bruises was beginning to form.

Link turned his gaze from Smith to the motionless hulk that was the guard. "Is he…is he dead?" he spoke to Chris.

"No, it was just a stunning spell," he answered matter-of-factly.

"A pretty strong one, too," Myra commented from her mother's side. "Lucky he had all that armor on, or he'd be out for weeks! Huh, Dad?"

"Had to be a strong one if it was going to be effective at all. Probably won't stay unconscious for long, though."

"Then we better get moving before he decides to come to," Smith responded, sheathing his sword and fastening the battered shield to his back. Then he kneeled over the unconscious guard to examine him. He picked from a ring on the guard's belt a heavy key and inserted it into the padlock on Zelda's cell door. It clicked, and he swung the door open.

"I can't thank you enough!" sighed the princess with relief. "I was beginning to think no one would actually come." As she exited the cell, Smith, Chris, and Yunala approached her and bowed deeply.

"Are you well, Princess Zelda?" Smith asked her with a sort of official dignity in his voice.

"Yes, considering the circumstances. You must be Smith, Chris, and Yunala," she said gesturing to each in turn. The adults all nodded. There was a hint of surprise as they did so, none of them expecting her to know their names. Then the princess looked to the two teenagers and said with a faint smile, "I see that Myra and Link and Myra have come as well." The adults looked somewhat displeased. Link gawked at Zelda.

"Hey, how do you know our names?" he asked rather bluntly.

"Well, I do have prophetic dreams, you know," she answered casually as though they were longtime friends. "Of course, nobody believes that." Her tone became somewhat bitter at this, but her composure quickly recovered.

"LINK!" Smith bellowed. "Show more respect in front of the Princess!"

Zelda giggled. "No, no, it's alright. Now's not the time to worry about formalities."

"Your Highness," Yunala cut in, "we're very disturbed to find you locked up in the dungeons. How did you end up down here?"

"I will explain, but this is neither the time nor the place," Zelda replied. "Agahnim will notice your presence here if we stay much longer."

"Then let's get out of here and quick-like," Smith announced, and he began to lead the way out of the dungeons. But everyone froze mid-stride as they heard a weak moaning sound from the guard spread out on the floor. Everyone's eyes flashed around and watched the guard struggle up to his arms and knees. The adults drew their weapons.

"Wait!" Zelda cried, and she dashed to the side of the guard to help him up.

"Have you lost your mind, Princess?" Myra shrieked. "Just a minute ago that guard was trying to pulverize us!"

"MYRA!" Chris and Yunala bellowed over their daughter's rudeness.

The guard groaned again as he attempted to remove his helmet with one of his hands. Zelda immediately moved to help the man. When the helmet slipped off and clattered to the floor, the guard revolved around to sit upright and against the wall.

"Nayru," swore Yunala. "It's Naom!"

Link's jaw dropped along with everyone else's. It was indeed Sir Naom, and he looked the same as he always did, albeit his hair was a little frazzled and his body banged up.

"So, Rigel and the others were right about the guards after all," said Chris.

"Wait a minute," Link interrupted. "What's going on? I thought he was our friend. Why did he attack us?"

"He was being controlled," Zelda explained. "Agahnim is using dark magic to control some of the castle guards."

"Dark magic!" Myra sputtered. "What's dark magic doing in Hyrule Castle?"

"And with Agahnim, no less?" Link added to her question.

Smith's face hardened to a deep scowl Link had never seen before. "Link, that's not a question you want to be asking. The answer would put you in far more danger than even now."

"I'm not sure how that's possible at this point," Link grumbled, but he diverted his attention back to Naom. "If he was being controlled, how did he break out of it?"

"Your attack must have broken the spell's hold," Yunala said to her husband. It didn't do much for Link's understanding. Magic was still a new and complicated subject to him, and he didn't see much hope in ever wrapping his mind around it anytime soon.

Sir Naom blinked painfully several times before squinting around the room. His green eyes fell upon Zelda's blue ones, familiar and kind to him, and asked, "Princess…where am I? What's happening? Why do I feel so…?"

"It's a long story, Sir Naom," Zelda answered. "Sufficed to say, you were being controlled by dark magic. But what matters, is that you're all right now."

Naom gazed with worry into her eyes. "I…I was being controlled? But…I…what was I doing?"

"You were guarding Zelda's cell," Yunala replied simply.

The statement seemed to confuse Naom. He looked upon Zelda again with concern, glanced at the cell behind her, and then turned back to meet her gaze. "Her…cell? But…what was Zelda doing down here? Who would do such a thing?"

"It was Agahnim," Zelda answered hastily, "but now is not a good time to explain. We have to hurry and escape from the castle before Agahnim catches us."

"Escape from…the castle?" Naom looked down a little at the floor. No doubt his mind was swamped with questions, but he shook his head and declared, "Very well, if you must, then I will help you escape from—." He made to stand, but a sharp pain arrested his body, and he slumped back down.

"Sir Naom, are you alright?" Zelda pleaded, grasping his arm.

"…I…don't think I can walk, Princess," he answered through his teeth. "I can barely move. You'll…just have to go without me."

"Sounds like Dad may have overdone it just a little," Myra mumbled to Link.

"No, we're not going to leave you!" Zelda cried. The others each raised an eyebrow. She turned to the magi for help. "Chris, Yunala, is there something you can do?"

"Well…" Yunala responded doubtfully, "…I do have some potion, but…"

"Sir Naom was being controlled by powerful dark magic," Chris continued. "My stunning spell may have freed his mind now, but there's a possibility that the magic could take hold again."

"But perhaps, if we get him away from Agahnim's immediate influence, the spell won't take hold again."

"That may be," Smith entered in, "but as it stands, a party of seven is going to be extremely difficult to get out of the castle." Then Smith added to the others, with a hint of irritation, "In fact, I wasn't even planning on there being more than two of us."

A very dissatisfied expression spread across Zelda's face. Before she could argue, however, Naom intervened, "Princess, they're right. I'm too much of a liability. Please don't fret over me. You must get to safety."

Zelda's face firmed up into a sort of stubborn form of determination before Naom had finished, and she completely ignored him. She stood up, turned around, and marched straight for Yunala. She put her hands to her hips, leaned forward, and said to her in a very commanding voice, "Hand over the potion." Yunala was quite taken aback. She hesitated. "Hand it over!" Zelda demanded again. Yunala continued to stare at the princess with surprise. The princess brandished an index finger. "As Princess of Hyrule, I _command_ you to give me one of your potions!"

With prompt obedience, more because she was simply flabbergasted by Zelda's sudden change in demeanor, Yunala reached into her robes and drew out a small vial of red liquid. She dropped it into Zelda's outstretched hand, and Zelda marched right back to Naom's side. She forced the vial into Naom's hand. Naom stared blankly at the vial, and then at the princess…and then at the vial…and then at the princess again.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Zelda demanded. "Drink it!"

"But…Princess…" Naom hesitated.

"Drink the potion, Sir Naom. We're going to need you. You're coming with us!"

Naom looked back to the vial for a minute then took the potion like a shot. He grimaced momentarily as he handed the vial back, but within a matter of seconds he felt his strength returning, and he slowly rose from the floor.

"Feel better?" Zelda asked.

"Yes, much better," he said with considerably less strain in his voice.

"Good," she said with satisfaction. "That means you can come with us."

The corners of Naom's mouth drooped just a little. But he managed to say, "Thank you, Princess. I swear upon my life that I will stay by your side until we are safely outside of the castle." Link had to keep himself from smiling in amusement.

Zelda twirled around prettily, walked back to Yunala, whose befuddled expression had not changed in the slightest, and returned the vial to her. "Thank you for giving Naom one of your potions," she said, her princess-like behavior back once again.

"Y—you're…welcome?" Yunala struggled to say.

"Well, then," Smith interrupted. "If we're done here, I say we stop wasting time and figure out a plan out of here."


	3. The Great Wizard

**Chapter 3**

_The Great Wizard_

Link and Myra stood next to each other watching the others from afar who were standing close together in a circle discussing their options for escaping the castle. Naom stood to the side listening to the conversation as he began what appeared to be a lengthy, complicated process of removing all of that heavy armor. He was virtually wearing his own weight in steel, and since it was Naom…well, that was a lot of steel!

Like the others, Link still wasn't sure whether taking Naom along was wise, considering the situation. The idea that they would be accompanied by a man who, just several minutes before, had been controlled by dark magic to keep Zelda under lock and key was, needless to say, unnerving. Never mind the fact that he was an old ally. Rescuing him in addition to Zelda was taking an immense risk.

Yet, it was Princess Zelda, perhaps the least likely of them all, who insisted they help Naom escape with them. He thought that, if it were he in that cell, he'd be the most eager to leave Naom behind. He could picture the scene in his mind: shivering in the cold darkness awaiting some fate he couldn't fathom, and only the monstrous form of Naom and his emotionless breathing for company. It would have been easy to come to hate him for that miserable condition. And yet Zelda stood up for him. It was astounding, reckless even…and Link couldn't help but admire her for it. Somehow, she must have been able to still see the real Naom, buried and trapped somewhere in the stolen shell of his body. Lesser folks would have left him behind without a second thought.

Link turned his gaze from Naom, fumbling with his greaves, to Zelda's graceful form. She was among the adults in their discussion. She really was quite pretty. Now that she was essentially free of her predicament in the cell, and once he had gotten over the initial shock of her beautiful presence, he could discern a subtle air of pride about her. Wait, was it pride? No, not quite, more like confidence. He knew that feeling well, and he saw it only in a few people. Uncle Smith was one of those few.

Amidst the discussion among the adults, Zelda turned her head and noticed Link watching her. She smiled warmly and simply and raised a gloved hand to him. Link blushed and returned the smile rather weakly. Though he was sure they had never personally met, he had the impression that she knew quite a bit about him.

Myra sighed after a few minutes of silently watching the conversation between the adults. Link turned his head to look at her and saw a depressed expression on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Myra's eyes perked up from the sudden attention, and she turned to him. "What? Oh…it's nothing, really."

"You look disappointed," Link analyzed, "like things didn't work out."

Myra stared blankly into Link's eyes for a moment, then she sat down on the stone floor, pulled her knees up close to her chest, and rested her chin on top. "It's just that…I was half-hoping to find Sarah here."

"Your sister," Link confirmed, taking a seat beside her.

"Yeah." Myra shook her head as though she had thought of something stupid. "I don't know…I didn't really _expect_ to find her here, not when I couldn't sense her anymore. I guess I just really wanted to. I'm not sure what I was thinking." She paused for a moment then added, glancing towards Link, "I'm starting to believe that what you said about staying home would have been the right thing to do."

"Probably," Link agreed, eying the adults again. "Even if everyone wasn't here, I wonder if there ever was anything we could do."

A loud clang echoed throughout the dungeon. Six irritated faces turned to glare at Naom. He was in the process of taking off his shoulder guards, and he had accidentally dropped them as they came undone. "Sorry!" he said with a sheepish grin.

Myra rolled her eyes. "Men…" she moaned, "…clumsier than a Goron with a set of knitting needles."

"I resent that!" Link shot at her.

"Why?" Myra shot effortlessly. "You only proved it earlier this evening. Remember? …When you almost stumbled out of the secret passageway into the two castle guards?"

Link contorted his face into the ugliest frown he could muster, be he had no defense. Myra smirked triumphantly. He quickly steered the conversation back to its original subject. "Your parents seem to know something about what happened to your sister."

"That's true," Myra replied. "They said more has been done for her than I know. What'd they mean by that?"

"Maybe they'll tell you if you ask."

Myra promptly shook her head. "No they won't. They're too protective to tell me anything important like that. And now that Sarah's missing, they're more concerned for my safety than ever. They think I'd go looking for her if I had any clues."

A grin cracked Link's face. "Well…they were right, weren't they?"

Myra couldn't help smirking also. "Yes, that's true."

"I know what you mean, though," Link continued, his thoughts turning to his relationship with Smith recently. "I know he's keeping a load of secrets from me, and he claims it would endanger me if I knew about them at all."

"It's not like I'm a defenseless child anymore," Myra protested to herself. "My final examinations are practically tomorrow, and I've been ready for them since last fall!"

"Examinations?" Link repeated.

"Yes," Myra confirmed. "Students in the magic schools have to take exit exams before they're considered a full-fledged magus."

"You mean, then, you're not a magus right now?" Link questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you said you were…. Did you _lie_ to me?"

"No, I didn't lie!" Myra cried back. "Stop sounding like I just spat on your mother's grave or something! I'm an apprentice magus, which is still technically a magus."

Link seemed to have accepted this, because he responded, "Well, you seemed skilled enough earlier this evening." He then added with a look of puzzlement, "…Even though I only really saw you cast one spell."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," she replied with gusto. "I'm the top of my class, and most of my professors won't admit I'm even better than they are. And Sarah's just as good as me." Myra's posture and facial expressions had barely shifted as she said all this. There was something in her tone that told Link this probably wasn't a stretch of the truth.

Link's eyes again focused back to the discussions before them, watching Zelda in particular. "You know," he chimed in after a minute or two, "if your mom and dad won't tell you anything, maybe Zelda will. If your sister was here, do you think she'd know anything about it?"

"There's a possibility," Myra pondered doubtfully, "but at the rate things are going, I won't have a chance to ask her tonight. And once we're out of here, I doubt they'll let me near her at all. Mom and Dad may find out what she knows, but of course that information will never pass my way. In fact, after tonight, I'll be lucky to escape a six-month period of solitary confinement."

The two grew quiet for the final time as their full attention was centered onto the discussion between the others.

"So what exactly was your original plan, Smith?" Yunala asked acidly, responding to a peeved comment Smith had muttered under his breath.

"Well, it was simple, really," he replied. "Infiltrate the castle using the trap door just outside the wall, sneak through to the lower levels and dispatch the guards there, break Zelda out of the dungeons, retrace my steps, and escape back through the trap door."

"For the last time, we've already decided going back the way we came won't work."

"No," Chris agreed. "That hallway is too heavily patrolled. And getting everyone back up through the trap door will be too difficult."

After a moment's uneasy silence, Yunala suggested timidly, if not sarcastically, "There wouldn't happen to be another secret passageway out of the castle, would there?"

Another moment of silence, then Zelda answered, "Actually, there is: in the Great Hall, behind the throne. There's a passage that connects to some old sewers. There should be another passage somewhere down there that leads to Sanctuary."

"Is that so…" Smith hummed musingly. "I wonder if Harahn knew about that."

"Chances are he does," Chris replied. "That old man knows more than he lets on, as I'm sure you know."

"Why didn't he tell me about it, then?" Smith demanded, somewhat miffed that he was denied such important information for such an important mission.

"Well, you didn't exactly radiate the words, 'Please confide with me everything you know about the castle,'" Chris said with a smirk. "More like, 'I'm doing this alone, and I'll strangle anyone who says otherwise.'" Smith threw him a dirty look.

"The Great Hall will still be very difficult to approach," Yunala entered in quickly. "No matter where we end up going, seven people is still hard to keep unnoticed in a castle full of guards."

"Especially when three of those people are teenagers…and one of them is Naom," Chris added.

"We can split up," Naom chimed in, completely ignoring Chris's underhanded remark about his girth. He had finished discarding his heavy suit of armor. He was now wearing a thick leather tunic with wide shoulders, a short sleeve cotton shirt underneath it, and heavy pants and boots. He retained his massive war hammer, but he left behind the ball-and-chain in exchange for a large boomerang made from some sort of crimson metal. "If we proceed separately in three parties, we'll be less conspicuous. Each group can take a different route towards the Great Hall."

"It's a possibility," Yunala responded. "But what if one of the groups gets spotted or captured?"

"They can at least draw the attention of the rest of the castle to them, giving the others a better chance of escaping without being noticed," he answered. "I know it's risky, but I believe it gives us the best chance of getting Princess Zelda out."

The others considered it for a moment and nodded their heads in agreement. "So, then," Smith said, "Who will the parties be?"

"I will accompany Zelda, to be sure," Naom announced.

Smith and the others frowned suspiciously. "I don't think that's a good idea, not with you just barely recovering from dark magic," he said.

Naom looked deeply offended. "I have sworn by my life that I would not leave the princess's side until we are safely outside of the castle. I am not going back on my oath." Again, Link had to suppress the urge to laugh. Was he always this dramatic?

"Be that as it may, we cannot run the risk of Zelda being snatched up and imprisoned again should dark magic symptoms start resurfacing."

"Then let someone else come," Zelda interjected, her abrasive nature starting to show itself again. "I, for one, trust that Naom will be fine."

"Then let it be me," Smith volunteered, trying to avoid a lengthy argument. "This was supposed to be my job, anyway."

The others slowly expressed their concordance by nodding. "Alright, how about the other two?" Yunala asked.

"I think Myra should go with you, Yunala," Chris suggested. "She may not be entirely combat ready," (Myra's face nearly contorted with resentfulness), "but I think her powers compliment yours better than they do mine. That leaves me with Link."

Link's posture slumped a bit. He wasn't too keen on this plan. It wasn't that he disliked Chris. On the contrary, he kind of liked him and his light-hearted wit. But he wasn't familiar with Chris's talents. Smith's he knew intimately well from training with him all the time. He felt comfortable around Smith's swordsmanship. He felt safe with them. Magic was relatively new to him, largely untested ground.

Then again, Link had never actually seen his uncle in real combat before until now, and the results weren't as flattering. Granted he was getting along in years, Link had expected him to fair a little better than he had against Possessed Naom. If the others hadn't shown up, Smith could have been in far worse shape than a sore back and a bruised shield arm.

"So it's settled then," Smith recapped. "We'll make our way to the Great Hall. Naom and I will accompany Princess Zelda. Myra will go with Yunala. And Link will go with Chris. Any objections?" Smith eyed Link and Myra, who had risen from the floor, almost daring them to speak up. Link, however, resisted the urge to protest. He knew this just wasn't the time. If she had any objections, Myra seemed equally effective at repressing them.

"Alright, then, it's time to move," Smith announced. "No more dilly-dallying."

The whole group dashed down the corridor, around the corner, and up the dungeon stairs. The guards patrolling the lower level had not, thankfully, been replaced (Naom said replacements weren't due for at least another hour). They proceeded to the opposite end of the level and ascended the stairs back to the main castle. The sound of heavy rain still resounded throughout the hall.

Just before splitting up, Smith put a hand on Link's shoulder and held out the family shield to him. "Take this," he said simply.

Link hesitated and cocked his head to the side. "What for?"

"Just in case," he answered. "I'm hoping it doesn't come to it, but you may need something to defend yourself with. Besides, my arm's injured. I wouldn't be able to use it properly."

Link's hands slowly grasped the dented family shield. He looked up into his uncle's eyes with worry. "I'll be fine," Smith assured him. Then everyone split up.

It was agreed that since the second floor was less heavily patrolled than the first floor, each party would need to take one of four possible second floor routes to the Great Hall. Passing by the king's quarters was deemed too risky—they were closely watched since he became ill—so that route was ruled out. Since Zelda was the VIP, and it was considerably more difficult for Naom to keep as low a profile as anyone else due to his size, Zelda's group took the shortest and easiest path along the north end of the east wing, which would lead them straight for the Great Hall. That left the south ends of the east and west wings for the others, less direct routes that emptied onto the balconies above the entrance hall. From there they could advance to the Great Hall.

"I'll take the lead," Chris whispered to Link. "Don't move until I tell you." Link bobbed his head up and down affirmatively, the intensity of the moment starting to put him on edge.

Despite what had been said, it seemed to Link that the second floor hallways were more heavily crowded with guards than the ones below, but that may have simply been the affect of heightened levels of adrenaline. However many guards there really were they all remained none the wiser that many an infiltrator had been eluding their watchful eyes all night. If anything, they only seemed a little sleepier as the night wore on. Link could only guess what time it was by now. The hour he had gotten out of bed to follow his uncle into the boisterous storm seemed like ages ago.

Link and Chris had barely crossed the hallway after climbing a staircase when Chris suddenly started flailing his limbs to signal for Link to hide. He dashed to a nearby door and eased it open. It was a dark, vacant guest room. Link eased the door open a little more as quickly and quietly as he could manage, and slipped into the room. Chris thrust himself inside a second later and pulled the door closed, leaving just a tiny sliver open to look through. Link could here the steady approach of guards from several directions. The sound suddenly stopped rather than tapered off. He could just make out the defeated expression spreading over Chris's face by the light from the door. Chris left the door and led Link further back into the room.

"Two guards are just outside the door," he whispered. "They're not moving."

"You mean we're trapped in here?" Link responded.

"At least until they leave, and who knows when they decide to do that."

"Well, this stinks…"

"On the other hand, we get to sit and rest for a little while." He then followed his own suggestion by sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Link felt far too restless to sit and wait until the guards decided to move on, but he reluctantly followed suit, forcing himself to sit next to Chris. At this point the only thing he could think about was getting out of the castle so that he could go home, snuggle into bed, wake up the next morning to some warm breakfast, and forget this whole night ever happened.

By now he severely doubted the legitimacy for his concern over his uncle. He felt utterly useless, and that by foolishly coming along he had only made things more complicated for everyone.

"I wish I had never left the house," he whispered to himself.

"Hmm?" Chris hummed back and turning his head to look through the dark at him.

"I…I should have just listened to Uncle and stayed in bed. It was stupid for me to come here."

"Well, I'll certainly agree with you on that point," Chris replied casually. Chris heard the faint ruffle of Link shifting uncomfortably on the floor. "Then again," he continued, looking back up towards the door, "It was rather stupid for _any_ of us to come here at all."

"Better you folks being here than me," Link insisted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I'm only making things harder. What can I possibly contribute to the situation, huh? Nothing!" Chris gave a short chortle. Link felt affronted. "I'm being serious!"

"I understand," Chris replied gently. "But I don't agree with your argument."

"...Why?" Link questioned, surprised by Chris's response.

"The only way this situation can possibly get worse is if you keep doing that to yourself," Chris answered.

"Doing what to myself?"

"Convincing yourself that you're worthless. The truth is you're not. No one is useless."

"Yeah," Link huffed unbelievingly. "No one except me."

"It's all a matter of attitude, Link. You just need to think positively."

"I think it depends on more than that, don't you?" Link argued. "You can have all the optimism in the world, but without anything to back it up, you're just being delusional."

"Have you ever truly met someone who was perfectly incapable of doing something worthwhile? I've been around, Link, and I certainly haven't. Everyone has the capacity to do great things. The problem is their attitude. If they could just stop being so sour or lazy or whatever, they could tap into that store of potential and really make a difference in the world."

"I'm not looking to change to world, Chris," Link replied flatly. "I just want to go home and go to bed."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that," Chris commented, and he chuckled again. "The point is, Link, you're only as useless as you think you are. You have the ability in you. Have a little faith in yourself. Have a little courage."

Link tucked in his legs and rested his chin on his knees. "So, what am I supposed to do then?"

"Well, that's a question you'll have to answer for yourself," Chris answered simply.

Link signed heavily. "That's awfully helpful," he murmured sarcastically.

"Oh, come on," Chris encouraged. "You're Smith's nephew, aren't you? He's been training you, hasn't he? He speaks very highly of you, you know, says you're a natural."

"Really?" Link perked up considerably from this. It frankly made no sense to him at all. "But, he's never said anything like that to me. All he does is criticize my technique."

"Well, he can be harsh at times, but there's a reason he's known as the best swordsman in Hyrule. It's probably his way of making sure you don't start thinking you're invincible, or something. He was always impressed by how quickly you mastered all of his lessons."

Link felt a strange warm tingling sensation begin to build up in his chest. "I thought he was getting so frustrated with my incompetence that he just gave up and moved to something else."

Chris chuckled for a third time. "You see? There is something you're good at."

"Well, yes, but I kind of need a sword for that, now don't I?"

There was a brief silence in which Link could almost see Chris looking at him with his mouth half open. Chris made a strange noise that sounded like frustrated phrases being drowned before they could leave his mouth. "Sounds like he passed a bit of his smart mouth to you, too," he said finally.

The two settled into a prolonged silence again. Link thought about what Chris had just told him. Was it true? Was Link really not as clumsy with a sword as he thought he was? Had Smith really praised him for it, if only in front of others? Link couldn't be sure, yet that warm tingling feeling in his chest had spread to his face, and an involuntary smile had started to form.

Suddenly, a loud, clanging like that of a cowbell was distantly heard from the corridor outside. Cries of, "Intruders! On the second floor!" soon followed, and hurried, metallic footsteps drifted off down the hallway.

"Oh crap…" Chris muttered. He was already on his feet. "C'mon, Link. Time to look lively!"

Link picked himself up from the floor as Chris covered the distance to the door in several strides. Peaking through the crevice in the doorway he announced, "Guards are gone. Now's are chance."

Chris disappeared from Link's view into the hallway. When Link poked his head through the door, Chris was beckoning to him from halfway down the staircase. Puzzled, Link followed. More pounding footsteps echoed up from below. Chris ripped aside a nearby tapestry, stepped behind it, and yanked Link to his side. Chris muttered something under his breath, and Link noticed with interest as the bottom of the tapestry began to lengthen until it touched the floor. A moment later, the footsteps passed them by. Chris peeked around his end of the tapestry. With the way clear, he pulled Link along, and they continued down the stairs back to the first floor. Despite the sudden surge of panic and the instinct to bolt straight for their goal, Chris cautioned Link to remain as covert as possible. The longer they could remain undetected the better.

"I don't understand," Link whispered as they jogged cautiously along back towards the dungeon stairs. They were interrupted by another need to hide, another troop of guards thundering past. "I thought we were headed for the Great Hall from the second floor. Why are we back down here?"

Another brief moment of hiding delayed Chris's response. "Everyone's supposed to be on the second floor, right?"

"Yeah."

"And that's where all the guards are headed. We'll avoid most of the alerted patrols on our way more easily down here."

"Oh, I see," Link uttered breathlessly. They were now dashing down a windowless corridor somewhere along the middle of the castle interior. Distant shouts echoed throughout the halls as the guards pushed their way up to the second floor, pursuing whichever party of intruders had been found.

After several intense minutes of running and ducking behind furniture, Chris peered around the corner of an intersecting hallway from behind a column. He then ripped his head back. Link immediately followed his lead and dove behind a nearby suit of armor as a troop of guards in their noisy armor rumbled past them. When the clamor had died away, Chris glanced from behind his column down the several passages again and signaled to Link it was safe to continue on their way. Link barely took three steps into the intersecting space before he heard the words, "Oi! There they are!" A surprise group of guards had appeared down the side passage.

"Oh, for the love of Din…" Link swore. The guards brandished their spears and began to close the distance with a charge.

"Run!" Chris commanded, and he and Link bolted down another corridor.

Link had done a lot of running in his life. In fact, he almost considered himself an expert at running. Whether it was running for warmups prior to sword training every day, or running to escape Smith's outrage after playing a prank, or running away from mobbing youngsters in the Kakariko Town alleys, or even running after a pick pocketing punk who swiped twenty rupees off of him, whatever is was, Link ran an awful lot.

And then there was that time he crossed paths with a rogue cuckoo. One day, in the farmlands just north of Kakariko, Link was on an errand to buy some milk from Mr. Romani, owner of one of the finest dairy farms in Hyrule. Upon his arrival, he discovered that a dozen cuckoos had escaped from Anju, Mr. Romani's daughter. Link had offered to help her rally them up, but he hadn't anticipated how difficult it was to chase down one of the birds and apprehend it. One of the males had been unusually stubborn, so he had cast aside any attempts at gentle capturing strategies. But apparently, cuckoos can only take so much abuse, and after pinning the bird on the ground the cuckoo starting squawking some Din-awful cry. The next thing Link knew at least a dozen cuckoos were descending upon him from out of nowhere, madly pecking any part of his body they could reach.

It was once said that it was impossible to cross the Kakariko Town Market at noon in less than half an hour, because the streets were packed with pushy shoppers. Since that day Link visited Romani Ranch, it was now necessary to specify that it was impossible to cross the Kakariko Town Market at noon in less than half an hour_ without_ a flock of mad cuckoos hot on your heels. Because that day was also the day Link was seen sprinting across the Kakariko Town Market at noon in less than half an hour with a flock of mad cuckoos hot on his heels. The crowds had parted and scattered to escape bodily harm from the ferocious fowls. Link didn't stop until he was safe and secure within the walls of his house.

So, yes, Link almost considered himself an expert at running.

But now, never before had he felt such a desperate compulsion to run. Even that skirmish with the Romani cuckoos would have been like a morning jaunt through the park compared to the thought of what might await him and Chris should the castle guards, now in hot pursuit, manage to catch them. Every thought, every force of will was channeled into his leg muscles, urging them with every ounce of strength to push his body forward. Chris had a hard time keeping up.

The rattling of steel armor was close behind them. Chris began muttering a phrase of Ancient Hylian to himself. And as he chanted, Link could feel a subtle vibration in the air around him. He managed a glimpse at Chris to his side and saw a shimmering of some sorts forming in Chris's hand.

Seconds later, Link and Chris finally emerged into the entrance hall. To their left could be seen walls lined with towering columns and two great doors at least fifteen feet high, guarded by no less than twenty castle guards. To the right was a grand staircase leading to the upper level and the Great Hall. Directly opposite was another corridor. Yunala and Myra were a little ways down fleeing from another patrol of guards. The two parties met at the base of the staircase and immediately began ascending the steps.

"What happened?" Yunala asked between labored gasps. "Was it you they spotted?"

"No," replied Chris just as breathlessly as his wife. "We heard the alarm before we were detected."

"Same for us," Myra supplied.

"Must have been the others they found, then," Link suggested.

"Not important right now," Chris interrupted. "Less talking, more running!"

The staircase stopped momentarily at a midlevel landing and branched into two separate flights to its left and right that curved back towards each other to the final landing on the second floor. A set of tall doors just beyond led to the Great Hall. Halfway up the stairs to the midlevel landing, Link looked up to see Smith and his party flash from a second floor corridor out of the right corner of his eye headed straight for the Great Hall doors. Another troop of guards followed right behind them. Then, out of the other corner of his eye, yet another patrol emerged from a second floor corridor on the opposite end of the hall. The trio stumbled to an unexpected halt as those guards intercepted their path. Link and the others came to a gradual stop on the midlevel landing. The guards pursuing soon surrounded them.

The way to their escape was blocked. The entire room was motionless. The only sounds Link could here were the downfall of relentless rain and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Then a single soldier emerged from the patrol blocking their way to the Great Hall, a high-ranking officer by the looks of it. "Surrender, kidnappers," echoed a bland, emotionless voice from within his helmet. It made the skin on Link's neck prickle.

The sound of faintly resonating metal drifted down to Link's ears. Smith had unsheathed his sword. "I have never surrendered in all my life," he coolly replied. "And I don't intend on doing so now."

"Then you will die," the soldier answered without a change in his voice.

"Captain!" Zelda cried, stepping forward between him and Smith. "These people are not kidnapping me. They are _rescuing_ me."

"Rescuing you…from what, Your Highness?" cooed a smooth, chilling voice from Link's right above the crowd. The whole of the hall swiveled around to gaze upon none other than the Great Wizard, stepping from the shadows of the second floor corridor.

"L-Lord Agahnim!" many of the guards managed to stutter, and they all lowered themselves to one knee in respectable bows.

Agahnim's figure dominated the attention of all those present as he glided towards the princess. He draped himself in heavy red robes that billowed widely as he walked. The length of the sleeves nearly reached his ankles. A turban and a triangular golden amulet topped his head with excess cloth draped loosely around his shoulders and neck. The symbol of his people, the Gerudo, emblazoned his chest and sash.

The Great Wizard scanned the room as he advanced as though a hunter studying his prey. His gaze turned to fixate upon Link for only a moment. But in that brief moment the Wizard's eyes were as piercing as daggers, as cold as ice, and as unfeeling as stone. For that brief moment, Link could see, could feel the Gerudo magus for who he really was, and it sent a petrifying wave of dread through his system.

"What, pray tell," Agahnim spoke again when at last he faced the princess, "do you think you need rescuing from?"

Zelda unwaveringly stepped forward to confront him. "From _you_!" she snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at his half-concealed face. The effect was essentially what she had hoped. A multitude of gasps, exclamations, or otherwise confused noises from the castle guards filled the hall. "It was you who had me locked up in the dungeons!"

Link couldn't help but gawk as Agahnim simply chuckled. "Now, Princess," he replied as though he were an amused parent, "it is understandable that you should be…less than friendly towards me. But forgive me in saying that you play a rather cruel joke in accusing me of such a fowl thing."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Zelda demanded. "Perhaps you should ask my 'kidnappers' whether they think it a joke." A smile now crossed her face as her confidence grew, and she turned to the captain of the guard. "Captain, throw this traitorous magus into the dungeons!"

It was barely visible through the cloth covering his face, but a gnarly smile peeked from the Wizard's mouth. Zelda's smile dimmed.

"Tell me, Captain," he asked, no less coolly than before. "What think you of this situation?"

The captain looked at Zelda for a moment, eyes hidden within his helmet, and then he turned back to Agahnim. "It seems to me," he said with indifference, "that it is as you thought, My Lord, namely that the Princess is not well. If so, these people are nothing more than kidnappers trying to take advantage of her poor condition and hold her for ransom."

Zelda's jaw dropped. "What!" she shrieked, startling several guards near her.

Agahnim sighed very audibly and pressed his hands together in an outward expression of concern, although Link personally found this quite unconvincing. "I don't think leaving the castle at this hour in this weather with this company will do any favors for your current condition."

"Condition!" Zelda spurted with rage.

"Please calm down, Princess," Agahnim tried to console her, his voice losing none of its false sweetness. "Your dreams have made you confused and delirious, and getting angry will only make things more difficult. What you need is rest and time to recuperate."

Zelda's face contorted with abhorrence. "What nonsense are you going on about? There is nothing wrong me, except for the fact that I spent several days in the dungeons, thanks to you!"

Agahnim motioned for the nearby guards, ignoring the Princess's protests. "Escort Zelda to her chambers quickly. Once these intruders have been dealt with I will administer to her myself. The rest of you, take these ruffians and lock them up."

Four of the foremost guards moved to retrieve Zelda. The rest raised their weapons and closed in on the others. Zelda backed away, and Smith and Naom closed in around her. "How _dare_ you!" she growled at them. "I swear, lay one finger on me or my friends or, by Din, heads will roll!"

"It's no use, Princess," Smith murmured into her ear, extending his sword. He, Zelda and Naom cautiously backed away towards the banister of the landing just above Link and the others. Smith glanced down at them, particularly at the magi. Link observed the slightest motion of a nod from Chris, and he turned to look at him. Chris flexed his hand…the one that was still shimmering.

"Earthen Pulse!" Chris bellowed, punching the wall underneath the landing. Like a ripple on the surface of a lake, a wave erupted from the stone of the wall, rushing out in all directions. The floor underneath Link's feet threw him several feet into the air enough to startle him and throw him off balance a little.

Then several things happened all at once. Yunala and Myra leaped forward to avoid the oncoming spell. Smith grasped Princess Zelda by the waist and hoisted her over the banister of the landing, and she landed rather clumsily next to Link. Smith and Naom immediately leapt after her.

As the spell progressed past Link, the immense ripple in the floor increased in speed and size. Agahnim's face contorted into an expression of shock and completely vanished into thin air. There was a cry of alarm from the guards around him as the surging stone slammed into them with tremendous force, knocking them up and scattering them across the hall in heaps. As the guards moaned and struggled to return to their feet, Agahnim rematerialized between the crumpled line of guards and the Great Hall doors. "Stop them!" he shouted. As though the words empowered them, the guards recovered from their stupor and reclosed their ranks.

Smith and Naom charged together up the steps, Smiths dashing up the right branch, Naom up the left. The guards from the landing above them began to spill onto the staircases on either side. Chris and Yunala turned to their rear to face the guards on the stairs below them. As the battle commenced, Link, Zelda, and Myra drew close together, huddling against the wall below the upper landing. Link instinctively raised his shield, and the three of them squeazed behind it like frightened kittens in a corner.

From behind the warped metal rim of his family's shield, Link marveled at the sight before him. To his left, Uncle Smith fought, now with more fire in his eyes and ferocity in his skills than Link ever thought him capable of. It was not the same warrior who had fought the giant in the dungeons. No opponent he met could withstand his wild attacks. In fact, he was doing almost as well as Naom on the right, who easily swept through the onslaught three guards at a time with his hammer. Link was now perfectly confident that bringing Naom along was the best idea suggested all night.

As soon as Naom had two seconds to spare, he pulled from the harness on his back his red metallic boomerang and launched it at the guards in front of him. The weapon pummeled through, clearing a way up the stairs. The boomerang then came whirling through the air back to Naom's outstretched hand.

"Princess, go!" he pleaded to her as he caught his weapon. "Now!"

Zelda immediately straightened. "Come!" she cried to Link and Myra. Grabbing their hands, she dashed forward, pulling them after her, ascending the stairs with Naom. But before they could reach the top, Agahnim dashed forward onto the landing.

"You are NOT leaving this castle, my dear princess!" he growled fiercely. All deceptive tones of calm and sweetness were gone from his voice.

"I beg to differ!" Naom shouted as he unhesitatingly lunged for the wizard with his hammer. Agahnim backed up a few steps to avoid the initial swing. He withdrew from his robes a scimitar that glinted iridescently in the light of the hall. The Wizard then lunged forward, unafraid of Naom's intimidating form, and clawed with his scimitar for Naom's face. It was soon apparent that Agahnim was not very skilled with a sword, and Naom easily avoided the attacks.

Myra suddenly screamed. Link looked to her in surprise. She was staring down at the battle back at the midlevel landing between her parents and the guards. Link looked down, too, and he cried despairingly. Chris had been pelted heavily by several attacks, and as his stance had drooped a spear attack struck him across the chest. He fell to the ground, and the guards advanced to finish him off. Yunala was too far away and too preoccupied to defend her husband.

Suddenly, there was a blaze of red and white light, an explosion of sparks. The guards surrounding Chris were on the floor. Link jumped back from Myra. A look of pure malice filled her eyes. She thrust her hands forward as though flinging fistfuls of rocks, over and over, each thrust launching a blinding, powerful stunning spell down upon the guards.

The weakening magi managed to pull away toward the stairs. Yunala reached her husband, now bleeding heavily from his chest wound, and helped him limp weakly up the stairs while Myra rained her blitz of spells upon their stunned attackers. Yunala laid her husband down once they were a safer distance from the line of guards, pulled another vial of red potion from her robes and poured it down her husband's throat. When Chris's copious bleeding stopped, the quivering in his body subsided and his breathing sounded less ragged and labored. Yunala then rose from his side to supplement Myra's attacks with her own spells.

Link heard a metallic ring from above, and he turned his attention back to the duel between Naom and Agahnim. The Wizard had blocked a downward plunge of Naom's hammer with his scimitar supported by both his hands. Agahnim huffed a short, "Heh!" and with an elaborate sweeping motion released his defensive hold, thrust his sword forward, the swept it back in an arc through empty air. As if thrown by an invisible force, Naom's body flew into the air. He lost his grip on his hammer as he flailed, which remained floating beside him. He flew in a path that mimicked the arc drawn by the point of Agahnim's scimitar, and he landed hard on his back on the other side of the landing. The hammer soon fell heavily onto his stomach. Naom gasped shortly in pain and writhed onto his side.

Agahnim laughed again and raised his scimitar to strike Naom down. Suddenly, Smith leapt onto the landing from the other staircase to block the fatal blow. He then followed up with his previous frenzy of sword swipes. He was a lot faster than Naom, so Agahnim's lack of swordsmanship put him at a severe disadvantage.

Smith did his best to give absolutely no quarter to Agahnim. The Wizard abandoned his attempts to counter Smith's blows and focused solely on deflecting and dodging. Amidst the clang of weapons and grunts and shouts, Link could distinguish the faint muttering of Ancient Hylian escape Agahnim's lips. Smith noticed, too, and quickened his assault to interrupt the Wizard's shortly uttered phrases. He was not about to let Agahnim start using any magic. The Wizard soon seemed to give up on summoning any spells.

Then, suddenly, Agahnim lunged forward and brought his scimitar right down in front of him. Smith was taken by surprised and just managed to bring his sword up in time to block. The Wizard pressed down heavily with unexpected strength, and Smith's hold began to tremble under the weight. Then the wizard unexpectedly released his pressure and swung low for Smith's belly. But Smith ducked just in time, rolled around to Agahnim's rear and thrust his sword into his spine.

A triumphant cheer died prematurely in Link's throat. He was expecting his uncle's sword to sink into Agahnim's raiment and flesh. But the tip of the blade had barely touched his red garb before Agahnim snarled an incoherent phrase that sounded more like a feral beast's growl than actual words.

Instead of Smith's sword impaling Agahnim's back, Smith was enveloped in a dark glowing shroud. He howled and writhed in pain then collapsed paralyzed onto the floor, his sword clattering to his side.

Agahnim turned slowly around and laughed cruelly at the two warriors lying on the floor. "Your skills are admirable," he mocked them. "Too bad they've all been for naught." He then stepped over Smith's crumpled form, raised his scimitar, and pointed it directly at Smith's heart.

Then the hall grew deathly quiet. Everything slowed down.

The steady thump…thump…thumping of Link's heart pounded in his ears.

Link's eyes focused entirely on the scimitar now plunging to meet his uncle. With each beat of his heart, the sword inched downward, closer and closer.

Every infinitesimally small moment was vividly perceived in his mind. Every second, one after the other, stretched on for an eternity. Every passing iota of time was like a frame flashing into existence and fading into the next. With each framed instant, the urge to move increased exponentially, and Link obeyed.

Flash. The scimitar was halfway down to its mark. Link was on the landing.

Flash. The scimitar was only inches from Smith's chest. Link was ten feet away.

Flash. The blade's tip met the skin of Smith's chest. Link's hand clasped the hilt of his uncle's sword.

Flash. The tip pierced through Smith's flesh like paper. A flame ignited within Link's chest, white hot and yet piercing cold. The flame pulsated with the beating of his heart. The flame grew with each pulse. The beats quickened. And everything sped back up.

Link swung his uncle's sword with all his might. The scimitar veered from its mark from the force of Link's horizontal attack, causing it instead to paint a deep gash across Smith's chest. He howled as blood began to flow freely from the wound. Agahnim stumbled backwards from his new opponent. Link responded immediately by thrusting forward. The Wizard barely blocked the attack. Link circled around to Agahnim's left side and struck again. He blocked but lost his balance, stumbling towards the stairs. Link struck again and again, forcing him back. The Wizard took one last rearward step, teetered backward, and began to fall. Link watched as Agahnim toppled into the air, a look of pure stupefaction on his face. He vanished into thin air before hitting the first step.

Immediately Link dropped over his uncle. Smith trembled as his chest became soaked with blood. Link examined the wound. It was deep, very severe…but not fatal. Thank Farore, it wasn't fatal. If they could get him out of here, they could properly care for him. He would live.

"Myra!" Link heard Yunala cry to her daughter. "Take Zelda and get out of here!" Link looked up from his uncle and over the banister. Chris was back on his feet and at his wife's side throwing more spells at the seething crowd of guards on the stairs just below. Myra detached herself from the crowd and ran with Zelda up the stairs.

"Godesses!" Myra gasped as she and Zelda reached the landing and realized what they saw.

"Is…is he…" Zelda struggled to say.

"He'll be fine," Link replied firmly, although his hands were trembling. "We just need something to bind the wound until we can give him one of Yunala's potions."

"I'm on it," Myra declared. She took off her cloak and muttered a simple spell just as Naom grunted and began to rise from his feet.

"Link," Zelda spoke desperately. "Come quickly, we're nearly there."

"But…!" Link stammered, his eyes still warily over his uncle.

"He'll be fine, I promise," Myra announced quickly between phrases of Ancient Hylian. The spell she was muttering was causing her cloak to rip into neat strips.

"Quickly!" Zelda pleaded. Link hesitated, but eventually obeyed. Grasping the shield more firmly and picking up his uncle's sword again, he made for the doors with Zelda. His sight lingered for a moment on his uncle's bleeding form. Myra was now wrapping the strips made from her cloak around Smith's chest. He faced forward.

Link and Zelda pushed the doors open to reveal a long and deserted hallway lined with torches and tall black windows. Flashes of angry lightning from the storm filled the panes with cold, white light every few seconds. The thunder that followed was loud enough to rattle the glass in their frames. Link and Zelda paid no heed as they sprinted down the empty passage. About halfway down, a creak from the door issued behind them. They glanced over their shoulders to see Myra flying through with Naom bounding right after her, Smith draped unconscious over his shoulders. Soon after, Chris and Yunala were dashing into the hallway as well, throwing a few more spells before slamming and magically sealing the doors behind them with thick, woody vines conjured from nowhere.

Link felt a surge of relief. They were almost there. They were going to make it. They were going to escape all in one piece. Then this nightmare would be all over.

A crack not wholly unlike thunder erupted directly behind him as he ran, the noise echoing throughout the hallway. He glanced back over his shoulder again, and the sight made him stop dead in his tracks. Zelda stopped, too. Agahnim had materialized directly into the hallway between Naom and Myra's parents.

"I have had enough of you worms tonight!" he roared.

"We'll be gone soon enough!" Yunala bellowed. All three magi instinctively threw ferocious looking spells at the Wizard. He flicked them away like leaves then raised his hands into the air. Both palms were enveloped in blackness, as though hold two powerfully bright anti-lights. The torches lining the hallway went out like candles.

Link now felt a fear he had never known before. It was as though all the warmth and energy around them was being sucked out of the room like a great wind. Yunala threw another spell at the Wizard, but its light was snuffed out before it could reach its target. Naom relinquished his boomerang and heaved it into the air, but its flight was soon stunted and ripped to pieces by an invisible force, like unseen hands tearing a piece paper to shreds and tossing it into the breeze. Naom's eyes popped out of his head, utter horror etched across his face.

The anti-light from Agahnim's hands began to grow. The conjured wind in the hallway intensified. "What do we do?" Myra cried in fear.

From the opposite end of the hallway, Link spied the two adult magi look at each other. They peered into each other's eyes for a second, and their faces shared the same look of uncertainty mixed with determination. Myra noticed the exchange as well, and she cried, "No!"

"Everyone, get out of here!" Chris shouted. "We'll hold him off!"

"No!" screamed Myra more loudly. "Don't do it!"

"Myra, leave!" Yunala pleaded to her daughter. "Now, before it's too late!"

"No! I'll stay and fight with you!"

"The thought is appreciated, Myra," Chris called to her, "but we'll be fine. Don't worry about us!"

"But…!" Myra shouted back, but she was cut off by Naom, blocked by a massive arm.

"Trust me," he said confidently. "They'll be fine. We need to focus on getting the princess out."

Myra gazed uncertainly up into Naom's eyes, then over to her parents, then over to Agahnim. The floor started rumbling at that moment. The black aura had enshrouded Agahnim's form and dark bolts were arcing from it and making cracks in the walls. At last she turned away and ran to catch up with Link and Zelda. Naom retreated right behind her. A tear was forming on her cheek. Together they heaved the Great Hall doors open and filed inside. The last thing they saw before they closed the doors was the instant at which Agahnim's black shroud erupted like a colossal explosion. The doors rattled violently, threatening to be ripped from their hinges.

Naom pulled in front of the door a heavy ornamental shelf set to the side. Zelda pointed to the far end of the room and said, "It's behind there; hurry!"

As fast as they could they crossed the Great Hall to the raised platform at the north end where two majestic thrones stood in the lonely darkness. A series of more ornamental shelves lined the wall behind. Zelda went straight for the second one from the left and pushed against its side. The others immediately began to help her. Even with the four of them all helping, the shelf was surprisingly heavy. After a few seconds, they had nudged the shelf just enough to reveal a narrow opening in the wall. They filed into the opening as fast as they could. Naom, being so large, had some difficulty fitting into the space, but somehow he managed not only to slip through but to scoot the shelf back in place in front of the hole. Out of breath, they backed away from the opening as far as they could into an extremely dark chamber.

They sat in silence and waited.

A series of muffled bangs issued from the Hall. Several shouts were followed by an angry cry that unmistakably sounded like Agahnim. Not one of them dared to breath. After a minute that seemed to go on forever, another frustrated outcry from Agahnim was heard, and the Hall grew silent once more.

It was another agonizing few minutes in the silence before they collectively sighed with relief. For a while more no one spoke.

Finally, Myra stirred first. "Do you…do you think they're alright?"

"I'm sure of it," Naom's low voice rumbled in the dark.

"I mean," Myra squeaked even more timidly, "that was…well, whatever it was, it looked serious."

"They'll be fine," Princess Zelda said to her assuringly.

"You…you sure?"

"I have a feeling," Zelda replied simply. "And my feelings tend to be quite accurate," she added.

A moment's pause, then Myra said, "Well, okay, I'll take your word for it."

"That's the spirit," Naom encouraged.

A faint groaning added itself to the darkness. "Uncle?" Link inquired. He didn't answer. "Is he okay?" he directed to Naom.

After a few seconds of shuffling, Naom answered, "He's fine, from what I can tell. But we need to get him somewhere for proper treatment soon, or he might not make it."

"Then let's get going," Link insisted.

In answer, Link hear Myra stand up from his side and say, "Man, it's pitch-black in here!" She muttered her Illuminating Globe spell. The light dazzled their eyes for moment, but once they had adjusted they could see the interior of a small stone room much like a room in the dungeons. A stairway in the wall to their right wound down an unseen distance. A faint dripping and trickling of water could be heard from below. The rest of the group got to their feet and descended into the shadows.

The stairs ended at a level earthen tunnel that stretched for several hundred yards. As they walked, the sound of water grew louder and louder. And as predicted by the princess, a series of sewers were waiting for them at the end.

"Ugh! Rats!" shrieked Myra after seeing a pack of squeaking forms shuffling around them dash into the shadows. Link happened a glance in Zelda's direction and saw that she did not look at all thrilled by the presence of rodents, either. He looked down and observed that the path dipped into a shallow channel of sickly colored water that smelled of mold and refuse. Drains lined either side of the channel, emptying copious amouns of rainwater into the sewers. There was no way around getting their feet wet.

"You know," Link commented as he dragged his feet through the shallow murky water, "even if it hadn't involved nearly escaping Hyrule Castle with my life, this is perhaps more than enough of an adventure to last me for the rest of my life."

"I second that," Myra chimed in. "Honestly, couldn't there have been a cleaner way to Sanctuary?"

"What would you expect?" said Zelda, directing them down a left junction in the tunnels. "It's a secret passageway. It doesn't get a lot of attention."

"How exactly did you even know it was here?" Myra asker her.

"My father told me about it. It only opens for one of the royal family, useful for escaping. It's one of those secrets only the royal family ever knows about." Link was just beginning to catch the irony of this statement and their predicament when Zelda added, "You won't tell anyone about it, will you?"

"My lips are sealed," Myra promised. She didn't fancy the place was worth divulging much about anyway.

Finally, after walking down one last stinking tunnel, they reached another winding staircase set conspicuously in the side of the passage. Faint light could be seen coming from above. A breath of cool air blew down on their faces. It was stale and damp, but it was so much better than the fumes of the sewers.

"That's it," Zelda said. "Sanctuary is just up there."

Link went up first followed by Zelda, Naom with Smith, and then Myra. The room above was identical to the secret room at the castle with the addition of small torches hanging on the two bare walls. A hole rested at the far end opposite the top of the stairs. Naom put Smith down gingerly and helped Link and Myra push at the object blocking the hole. They stopped when just a little crack was open to check if the coast was clear. Seeing nobody, they pushed the object away from the hole.

"I'm starting to think it was a good idea to bringing you along after all," Myra said to Naom as they filed out one by one.

"I was already convinced once I saw him bowl over several guards at once back in the entrance hall," Link added. Link and Myra smirked. Naom, in the process of squeezing through the hole, stopped squirming for a moment and blushed slightly. Zelda displayed a disapproving frown.

Sanctuary was an old but well kept cathedral in the middle of Kakariko Town. The nave boasted high stained glass windows depicting ancient kings and heroes of Hyrule. They had entered the building from a hidden entrance behind an impressive golden statue of the three Goddesses—Din, Nayru, and Farore—situated in the apse. Directly in front of them were a raised platform, several chairs, and a pulpit. To either side of the apse were doors leading into separate studies. Criss-crossing the nave were dozens of pews.

Link's body tensed for a brief moment. One of the pews was occupied. Zelda, however, was quick to identify the old man as Harahn, the lone priest of Sanctuary, and his fears subsided. Harahn was also asleep. His head kept bobbing up and down amidst the occasional loud snores. Through the windows, they could see the dark and rainy night. He was sleeping very well despite the raging storm outside.

A weak moan issued from Smith, still draped over Naom's side. Link examined his wounded uncle. The bandages Myra had produced were soaked thoroughly red with blood. "He needs some serious attention right now," Link declared.

"Are we going to wake him up?" Myra asked indicating Harahn somewhat uncertainly.

There was no need. After a loud bang of thunder the old man snorted loudly and woke up to find five sweaty, dirty, and somewhat smelly people standing before him. His jaw dropped. "Your Highness, you are safe!"

"Yes," she replied. "All thanks to everyone here."

"Really?" the old man questioned enthusiastically. "But I thought Smith was going alone…. Good Goddess!" He exclaimed as his eyes fell upon Smith's limp form. "What happened?"

"We'll explain later," Zelda dismissed. "He needs urgent care immediately."

"Well, yes, yes, of course!" Harahn agreed. "Please, take him into my study." He indicated the door to their right, and Naom rushed into the study with Harahn. Link watched them go with an uneasy feeling he simply couldn't shake.

"He will be okay," Zelda reassured him.

"I know," Link replied. "I believe you. Still…I don't like seeing him like that."

Link and the girls resigned to the nearest pew. Half an hour or so passed by before Naom reemerged from Harahn's study.

"We've administered several potions and managed to stop the bleeding," he announced calmly. "He's stable for the time being."

"What do you mean 'several potions'?" Myra inquired. "You only need one to do the trick."

"Apparently, Agahnim's sword was laced with a poison that resists curatives," Naom replied rather gravely. "Likes to play dirty, that one. In retrospect, I'm surprised we managed to make it here in time."

Link's feelings were divided between relief and anxiety. "He is going to be okay, right?"

"I think so." Naom's voice was straight, but it held a hint of optimism. "He'll be in bed for awhile, though, at least until we can cleanse the majority of the poison from his body. He's in good hands with Harahn."

The anxiety slowly leaked from Link's chest. A breath he had been holding unawares released itself. "Good, that's a relief."

Harahn then appeared from his study with his arms full of blankets. "He's asleep now. I'll look after him tonight. In the meantime, why don't you all get some rest? You've obviously been through a lot tonight, so we can save the discussions for tomorrow."

He began to distribute the blankets to everybody. Naom didn't immediately reach out for his. "No thanks. I'm standing watch."

"Oh, no you're not," Harahn said cheerfully. "You, most of all, after just recovering from dark magic, will need some sleep. There's nothing to worry about. No one's coming tonight." And without another word, he shoved the blankets into Naom's arms.

Myra looked a little confused. "How did he know about Naom being controlled by dark magic?" she aimed at Link.

"Well, he's part of the group that Uncle meets with all the time," Link answered simply. "They probably already knew about it."

Everyone spread out their blankets on the ground or in some of the pews and tried to cuddle into them as best they could. Naom stayed standing, however, limply holding his blanket.

"Oh, come now," Zelda said to him. "You heard Harahn. We all need our rest."

"After all that's happened, I couldn't bear to let anything happen to you again," Naom replied. "I must stand watch."

Zelda frowned slightly. Sometimes she thought Naom took his job a little too seriously. Then an idea popped into her head. "Well, if I sleep over here—" she said, indicating a space in front of one of the chairs behind the pulpit, "—you can sit there and keep watch." And she promptly set to spreading out her blankets.

Naom said nothing and remained where he stood. Princess Zelda saw the reluctance. Finally, pointing sharply at the chair she commanded, "Naom, sit!"

Naom managed to smile a little. With blanket in hand, he obediently sat into the chair, which creaked slightly under his weight. Smiling, Zelda sprawled out gracefully across her spread of blankets and slowly fell asleep. Naom laid his blanket across his lap, his eyes resting affectionately over his charge.

Link, lying in one of the foremost pews, felt rather uncomfortable with only a thin blanket between his back and the hard wood. But the moment he lay flat, sleep began to take over him like an old friend's embrace. The thundering storm seemed to take on the usual quaint character he was familiar with as he drifted off into dreams.


End file.
